Tuesday update: Cothren, Brady oppose biosolids plan

Wahkiakum County Commissioners Dan Cothren and Blair Brady on Tuesday expressed their opposition to the plan to spread biosolids on the Grays River ranch of Phil and Sulema Zerr.

At the board's weekly meeting Tuesday, Health and Human Services Director Judy Bright commented that she had attended the Department of Ecology's Monday public input meeting in Grays River and was impressed at how well the meeting went and how well informed the people were.

Cothren agreed and added he had received many phone calls in the past few days from constituents concerned about the application of biosolids. Many came from the Elochoman Valley, which is in Cothren's district, and the callers expressed fear about the potential use of biosolids there, he said.

Phil Zerr was at the board's Tuesday meeting, and Cothren addressed him, "Phil, I'm asking you, don't pursue this any further. Your neighbors don't want it."

Brady added that he had asked Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow to look into the feasibility of drafting an ordinance prohibiting application of biosolids in Wahkiakum County.

"I could go with that," Brady said. "We'll see what Ecology says and wait to hear from Dan Bigelow."

"I didn't expect that," Zerr said after the meeting. However, he showed no indication of backing down. He commented that there were around 80 people at the meeting Monday, and 21 or so spoke. The others listened, he said, and afterward, he had several people speak to him in support of the proposal.