A Quiet Valley Upended
by Liam Walsh
Since 2023, a Whatcom County community has been fighting a mine expansion that they say would create detrimental problems for the environment and their community. A 30-day comment period will open soon, during which members of the community can voice their concerns.
Andrew Clarke, the head of HOMEWhatcom (Homeowners Opposed to Mine Expansion), lives directly next to the proposed mine, called Ranch Quarry Mine. HOMEWhatcom is against the creation of a 70-acre gravel pit, accessible from the South Pass and Frost roads in Sumas, Washington. They wish to protect their water quality, air quality, and prevent the ongoing pollution from surface mining. They’re also fighting to maintain the rural character of their neighborhood. (1) (2)
“We really don’t have any other options. If this went through, it would tank all of our property values, but it would also turn our quiet rural peaceful little valley into an industrial arterial,” said Andrew Clarke. In 2023, Whatcom Watch covered the proposed expansion. (3)
According to the Whatcom County website, the proposal is to create a new approximately 70-acre open pit rock quarry. The proposed depth of mining activity will range from 50 feet to approximately 350 feet in depth. It is estimated that there will be approximately 13,743,113 cubic yards of excavation material associated with the quarry.
The company that submitted this proposal is Cowden Inc., which is now owned by LafargeHolcim Company, a Swiss multinational corporation. [The Holcim Group, legally known as Holcim Limited, was formerly known as LafargeHolcim.] (4)
The local homeowners group, HOMEWhatcom (1), is vehemently opposed to the mine expansion and they have three central concerns: environmental impact, asbestos, and traffic.
photo: Oliver Mortell
Google earth map depicting the proposed Ranch Quarry mine expansion area on Jan. 21, 2026. The proposed area is 70 acres southeast of Sumas.
Environmental Impact
The primary concern of the community is that the proposed mine will increase chemical contamination in the Saar Creek watershed. The Saar Creek watershed consists of 15 wetlands, 12 habitat conservation areas and multiple small seasonal streams. Saar Creek is 1,200 feet from the site. It ultimately feeds into the Sumas River.
Elli Harron is a member of HOMEWhatcom, and she expressed her hydrological concerns with the mine expansion at a December 4, 2025 community meeting. “Any increase in turbidity or chemical runoff from blasting, vehicle fluids, or exposed aggregate, will rapidly travel through the system into Saar Creek, violating Whatcom County code 16.16 which is protection of surface and ground water from contamination,” Harron said.
Harron believes that it is impossible for the proposed mine to comply with county code. There is simply too much unknown impact to the watershed. According to the Whatcom County website, “there is inherent uncertainty in quantifying how the basin area alterations may specifically alter recharge patterns.” (2)
Asbestos
Another major concern of HOMEWhatcom is the presence of asbestos on the mine site and in the surrounding area. According to the Washington State Department of Health, naturally occurring asbestos has been found on Sumas Mountain. Asbestos is a carcinogenic hazard which can lead to serious health problems including cancers. In September 2024, the article “Swift Creek’s History and Future” about asbestos found in the Sumas Mountain area appeared in Whatcom Watch. (5)
Kathleen Greenbaum, a member of HOMEWhatcom, was at the meeting, and she discussed the asbestos concerns. “When you’re blasting it with explosives and crushing it in a rock crusher, and, if you’re transporting your product without a cover on your gravel trucks, then that dust is being spread,” Greenbaum said.
Another asbestos concern is flooding. Flooding can carry asbestos into farmland, and, when the land dries up, the particles become airborne.
In 2021 and 2025, the area experienced flooding. This pattern is a concern to the community due to an increased risk caused by climate change. “When Swift Creek floods, all that contaminated soil goes right into the farmland. We just don’t know the long-term impacts. There are just too many unknowns,” Harron said.
Trucking and Traffic
The final concerns of HOMEWhatcom are traffic and trucking. According to the Whatcom County website, approximately 25 trucks will be entering and exiting the site per day while members of the community argue there could be significantly more.
Erica Simons, a member of HOMEWhatcom, argues that this increased traffic would be a detriment to the community. South Pass Road runs directly next to the land proposed for the mine, and is one of the options for hauling the mined material.
HOMEWhatcom believes using South Pass Road would be incredibly dangerous. Their primary concern is that the width of the road could lead to an increase in accidents. “The road is not wide enough to accommodate these trucks,” Simons said.
“There’ve been so many fatalities and accidents just with pedestrian and bike traffic on that road just with the traffic we have now. And, people don’t have cars; it’s not like people have any other option. They’re going to have to walk the road,” a community member at the meeting said.
Another issue surrounding trucking is where the material from the mine will ultimately end up. “We’ve been really firm in requesting that the county have some sort of haul route before the Environmental Impact Statement begins so we can speak with a little bit of knowledge about what is happening,” said Clarke. Cowden Inc. (Holcim Group) has not provided a proposed haul route as of January 11, 2026.
Timeline
In February 2023, the residents in the area were notified about the mine expansion via land usage signs. “One day, as I was coming home, I noticed one of those yellow notice signs,” Clarke said. “Right when we learned about what was going on, we got together as a community group, and formed a 501(c)(3), and we got legal representation,” Clarke said. Bricklin and Newman LLP, a law firm based in Seattle, is representing the group.
The county submitted a notice of additional requirements which requires the applicant (Cowden Inc./Holcim) to submit additional information. In May 2024, the applicant submitted 13 reports attempting to satisfy those requirements. In September of 2024, the planning department issued a letter of intent to issue a determination of significance. This will require an environmental impact statement (EIS).
In a letter sent to Harron, Special Projects Manager Amy Keenan for the Whatcom County Planning and Development Service explained the current situation. “On September 26, 2024, PDS (Planning and Development Services) issued a letter with an intent to issue a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Significance (DS) and require an environmental impact statement (EIS). It was determined that the proposal may adversely impact the environment with regard to critical areas, stormwater, traffic, public safety and critical aquifer recharge areas.”
The planning department has hired a third party, EA Engineering, Science, and Technology Inc. consulting firm to run the process of the environmental impact statement. Cowden Inc./Holcim is obligated to pay for this process through the planning department.
“The last that we’ve heard is that they’re pretty much buttoned up on the cost recovery contract, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the formal Determination of Significance get issued in the next couple of weeks,” said Clarke. That starts a 30-day scoping period which allows for public comments. The contractor will go through all the comments and material submitted by all parties and decide the precise scope of the environmental impact statement.
“As a group, we were at about 18 pages of material that we’re going to have ready to submit to the contractor right away. They’ll also have to take into consideration all the materials submitted over the past years,” Clarke said.
Eventually, the contractor will release a draft of the EIS, which will go up for review and there will be an additional comment period. Finally, the contractor will issue the Environmental Impact Statement. It’s unclear how long this process will take. The county will then make a determination.
HOMEWhatcom is hopeful that the county will assess the Environmental Impact Statement and conclude that the mine expansion poses too great of a risk for the environment and decide it cannot take place. That decision can be appealed.
A Community Brought Together
Despite the trying situation for the community, the proposed mine has brought one silver lining. “One positive has been bringing the community together,” Clarke said. “For the past three years, they have thrown a music festival. Once this process is over, we’re going to keep doing that.” The music festival is called The Frost Rd. Festival and the community raises money and awareness about the mine expansion during the event. (6) “That’s been a positive, tighter relationship with neighbors. In a rural setting, it can be kind of hard to get to know your neighbors because everyone lives up long, dark driveways,” Clarke said.
If the Ranch Quarry mine proposal were to go through, members of the community believe it would decrease their property values and change the valley forever. “It would totally change the character of where we live. It would give us the potential of poisoning or draining our wells and our air,” Clarke said. “I have a small child and I wouldn’t want her to grow up with all that potential danger. It’s an existential threat.”
Simons summed up her feelings at the December 4th meeting. “We are not anal yuppies that don’t want anything to change or happen. We recognize change, we recognize ownership, but we also respect the environment,” she said. “It’s all a matter of balance. If we go through this whole process and it’s legally determined that they are entitled to that quarry, I will support that decision. I just don’t happen to believe they are going to be able to do that honestly and ethically.”
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Liam Walsh is a senior at Western studying Journalism with a news/editorial focus. In his free time, he plays on the Western rugby team and enjoys hiking and swimming.…
References:
- https://whatcomwatch.org/index.php/article/quarry-planunsettles-neighbors/
- https://www.holcim.com/
- https://homewhatcom.com/
- https://www.whatcomcounty.us/4197/Ranch-Quarry-Mine
- https://homewhatcom.com/the-frost-road-festival/
