Neighbors urge council to weigh long-term impacts of proposed Cumberland aggregate mine

Several residents used the public-comment period at the July 13 Eden Plus City Council meeting to urge the council to engage with an application for a Cumberland-area aggregate mine and related asphalt plant.

Julius Stevens, who said he lives in unincorporated King County near Enumclaw, described the project as a multi-decade operation and warned of substantial truck traffic and round-the-clock operations. “If you’re looking at throwing approximately 2.98 to 6.68 heavy trucks per day into that traffic mode, it’s going to complicate the life in Enumclaw,” Stevens said, and he cited an estimated daily water use for the operation of “175,000 to 250,000 gallons a day.” Stevens asked the council to review King County project materials and noted the county’s public-comment period runs through Aug. 7.

Linda Stevens urged preservation of about 990 acres north of Cumberland (Lizard Mountain area), saying the land provides trails, river access and terrain used by hikers, equestrians and older residents. She voiced concern that large projects could affect local wells and asked the city to consider conservation options; she said county and state entities had shown some interest in protecting the land.

Another commenter raised adjacent concerns about a proposed reuse of the former Moose Lodge as a nightclub or event center, warning that a liquor-license operation in a residential area could lead to repeated police response and noise complaints and pointing council members to the municipal code’s noise-control chapter for guidance.

City staff and some residents referenced King County materials and a county comment deadline; no formal council action on the Cumberland project was taken at the July 13 meeting. Speakers asked the city to review the county filing and to consider submitting comments or taking other steps before the county’s stated deadline.