Skagit County hears closed‑record appeal over Lake Erie gravel‑pit expansion; opponents cite groundwater and bluff risks

Skagit County on Tuesday held a closed‑record appeal hearing on a long‑running dispute over a proposed expansion of the Lake Erie gravel pit on Fidalgo Island, where opponents said the expansion could increase groundwater flow toward unstable coastal bluffs and endanger homes, while the applicant’s attorney and county experts said available hydrogeologic analyses do not show flow toward the bluffs.

The appeal concerns a May 22, 2024, hearing‑examiner decision denying the special‑use permit (PL16‑0556) for an approximately 36‑acre expansion of an existing gravel mine operated by applicant Bill Wooding. The applicant appealed that denial to the Board of County Commissioners; Tuesday’s proceeding was a closed‑record legal review restricted to evidence already in the administrative record and testimony presented to the hearing examiner.

Attorney Michael Carmichael, speaking for the applicant, asked the Board to remand the decision for further investigation rather than uphold the hearing examiner’s denial. Carmichael said two licensed hydrogeologists in the record — one hired by the applicant and one…