Black Lake Quarry is a 270-acre gravel mine on the Black River. The Thurston Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) voted in December to rezone 247 of these acres from R 1-20 to RRI which flips this area from low-density, rural land uses to ‘more intensive industrial’ (after being reclaimed from mining).
The four parcels of the mining area are bordered to the north, west and south by the Black River Unit of the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and the Black River. This area:
- Is one of the best locations for recovery of the endangered Oregon Spotted Frog (OSF)
- Has special vegetation in the bog north of the mine
- Has an Audubon designated Important Bird Area adjacent to the Black River and downstream from this area.
Rezoning from R 1 -20 to RRI can have the following negative effects in the near future as industrial development proceeds:
- More permitted impervious surface, from approximately 6% to 60%.
- More possibility of industrial pollution and contamination from vehicle tires into the Black River Unit and the Black River, especially from flooding that can overwhelm storm water systems. There are documented Coho Salmon in the Black River, for whom the 6PPDQ chemical from the rubber dust is lethal at very low concentrations.
- Groundwater drawdown is a greater risk with more intense industrial development. (The mine recycles a lot of the water it uses, replenishing the aquifer.) Low levels of water in the summer adversely affect the OSF, downstream wildlife, and bird populations and can lead to algae blooms.
- Destruction of habitat for the state and federally listed OSF, over 150 species of birds, Roosevelt elk, and steelhead and cutthroat trout from both pollution and water drawdown in the bordering Black River Unit.
Rezoning from R 1-20 to RRI will also have negative effects when the mine is eventually decommissioned and reclaimed.
Consequently, SSBA has filed an appeal to the Growth Management Hearing Board to reconsider the Thurston BoCC decision. R 1-20 zoning is for 1 residence per 20 acres. It also allows for agriculture, forestry, conservation, mining through a special use permit, and other appropriate rural uses. This zone was created specifically to protect the Black River Corridor (Municipal code 20.09B.010).
RRI zoning is Rural Resources Industrial and enables industrial and commercial land use which must be [tangentially] related to rural industries – agriculture, aquaculture, forestry and mineral resources. Potential allowed uses could be mining, warehousing, wood products manufacturing, mineral processing, slaughterhouses, fish processing plants, pellet plants and other emerging technology.
If you are interested in helping to fund this appeal, you can use the form below to contribute by credit card to an SSBA special Black River fund. You can also send a personal check to SSBA, PO Box 2524 Olympia 98507 (please note Black River on the memo line).
Black River in February 2026 by Betsy Norton
Donate to the Black Lake Quarry Campaign
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