NASELLE, Wash. – State Rep. Brian Blake has weighed in with questions about plans to reopen the Naselle Quarry.

He joins residents of Government Road near the Naselle Bridge and others who have questions about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposal at the site along Clearwater Creek.

“At this point I don’t understand the need for this pit,” said Blake, whose legislative district includes Pacific County. “I would hope the existing quarries would provide the rock.”

The proposed quarry was last used in 1946 to provide rock for jetty “A” construction. The Corps would like to increase the size of the quarry from 1.5 acres to 10 acres, requiring the removal of 375,000 cubic yards of plant growth and soil in an area adjacent to Willapa Bay.

Blake said repairing the jetties was vital to the local economy. But, he wondered if the costs of reopening the quarry might outweigh the benefits. “I’m not sure it makes economic sense and there is the risk to the environment,” he said.

During the recently concluded public comment period, Pacific County wrote a letter to the Corps. Pacific County Community Development Director Mike DeSimone wrote that the environmental assessment done by the Corps failed to include an accurate reference to permit requirements and other rules.

“As the site is designated as Forest Land of Long-term Commercial Significance, you are required to submit to Pacific County a complete and approved Washington State Department of Natural Resources Surface Mining Permit, including full reclamation plan.”

Resident Kathleen Sayce also submitted a letter to the Corps expressing concerns. “From the point of view of efficient energy use, it is far more efficient to move loads by water than by road. This means that barging should be the preferred alternative,” she wrote.

She had some technical questions about possible discrepancies in the environmental assessment. “There is no mention of impacts of widening the access road between the quarry and Highway 101, which runs in a floodplain along the edge of the salt marsh on the Naselle River,” she wrote. “This action would normally involve Coastal Zone Management consideration.

“Any expansion, widening or other improvements to Government Road will impact the floodplain, and should be addressed.”

The Corps has said that the Naselle Quarry is only one of the potential sites under consideration as a source for jetty rock. Engineers continue to move ahead in the permitting process.