Asphalt recycling can be permitted in the Nisqually subarea, following a 2-1 vote by the Thurston County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners approved several amendments to the county comprehensive plan during its final regular meeting of 2020. The plan outlines the long-term vision for the county’s growth and can only be amended once a year. The amendments approved this year included an update to a policy within the Nisqually Subarea Plan that allows asphalt recycling provided landowners are approved for a permit and follow certain best management practices.
Some community members have contested this policy change out of concern that reclaimed asphalt pavement may contaminate groundwater in the critical aquifer recharge area. However, other stakeholders have contended that the recycling can be done safely by covering the reclaimed asphalt pavement and continuously monitoring water quality.
Lakeside Industries, an Issaquah-based asphalt company with a plant on Durgin Road, has petitioned the board to take up this issue several times in the past and finally persuaded the board to add it to its official docket in 2017. Commissioners John Hutchings and Gary Edwards voted to approve the Comprehensive Update package that included the Nisqually subarea policy update. Commissioner Tye Menser opposed the measure because he disagreed with several aspects of it. Regarding the Nisqually subarea plan, Menser said he is close to believing asphalt recycling could be done safely but argued the policy update should be considered withing the context of a large update to the entire Nisqually Subarea Plan.