Chevron near Bethany Lake: Two weeks left on Public Comment and Letters to the Editor

Hello Everyone-

What actions have you taken to let the County and your neighbors know about your thoughts on the Chevron near Bethany Lake? Have you made a Public Comment on the Land Use application? Have you talked to a neighbor? Let me know what your experience has been.

Making a Public Comment

The public comment for the Chevron near Bethany Lake application is open for two more weeks, make a comment now! While writing your comment please be polite to the County Land Use and Transportation staff reviewing the messages. And feel free to use primary source references, data, and perspectives from our site.

Write a Letter to the Editor

Getting a letter published in a local newspaper is a great way to help raise awareness. We posted links and requirements on the website for letters to the Oregonian, Beaverton Times, Willamette Week, and others. Below is a letter that I wrote about leak data from the Oregon DEQ.

Gas stations store tens of thousands of gallons of fuel in underground storage tanks. And these tanks regularly spill and leak. According to the Oregon DEQ's annual report between Oct. 2020 and Sept 3% of the 1,800 regulated tanks leaked! And it isn't just the tanks that leak: the pipes, dispensers, and spills on delivery cause leaks too.

Unfortunately, there are no protections in Washington County's Land Use and Zoning code to ensure that these leaks happen far away from sensitive areas or ground water.

And why does this all matter now? Well there is a proposed Chevron station at the corner of 185th and West Union in the growing Bethany area of unincorporated Washington County. And the site plan places the storage tanks within 80 ft of the wetlands of the Rock Creek Greenway that also feed into the beloved recreation areas of Bethany Lake. We don't need a gas station at this location and the County must update their zoning to better protect sensitive sites like wetlands, streams, rivers, flood plains, schools, and parks.

To see the application docs and other perspectives on this see https://nabgas.com.

Thank You,

Brandon Philips

Facebook Group

Many people find it easier to be involved via Facebook. So, I created a Facebook group and I hope others will get involved that way.

Thank You,

Brandon