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East Lake Sammamish Trail NEPA/SEPA Scoping
Meeting February 20, 2001
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What is NEPA?

• The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is
  the basic national charter for protecting the
  environment. Its purpose is to
• Encourage productive and enjoyable harmony
  between man and his environment
• Promote efforts which will prevent damage to the
  environment
• Enrich the understanding of ecological systems
  and natural resources important to the nation
• It is the continuing policy of the federal
  government, in cooperation with state and local
  government and other concerned public and private
  organizations, to use all practicable means and
  measures to create and maintain conditions under
  which man and nature can exist in productive
  harmony

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Why NEPA applies

• Federal Transportation Enhancement funds (TEA 21)
  are being used to design the East Lake Sammamish
  Trail
• Federal permits will be required to build the
  East Lake Sammamish Trail

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How will NEPA and SEPA be coordinated?

• Both Washington State and the federal government
  require that we conduct environmental reviews
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the
  Washington State Department of Transportation
  (WSDOT) cooperate to manage transportation
  projects
• FHWA, WSDOT, and King County have determined that
  an integrated process is most efficient
• A combined NEPA/SEPA Environmental Impact
  Statement (EIS) will be prepared under the
  guidance of FHWA, WSDOT, and King County

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How alternatives were developed for the November
2000 scoping meeting

• Five neighborhood workshops
• Maps
• Worksheets
• Small group meetings
• User group mailing
• Worksheets
• Three user group meetings
• Technical expertise of consultants and park
  professionals

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Refinement of alternatives presented in November
2000

• Consolidated railbed and rail corridor alignments
  
• Specified equestrian trail location for analysis
  purposes
• Quantified parking spaces at neighborhood
  locations for analysis purposes
• Limited parking at neighborhood locations where
  corridor width is widest

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3 trail alignment alternatives

• ALTERNATIVE A No Action
• No permanent trail would be built, and the
  Interim Use Trail would be decommissioned
• ALTERNATIVE B Railbed/Rail Corridor
• Alignment would be primarily on the railbed and
  completely within the rail corridor. This
  includes a few locations where the trail leaves
  the railbed to consolidate crossings and to
  eliminate the need for adjacent homeowners to
  park on the opposite side of the trail from their
  residences.
• ALTERNATIVE C Rundle/Haro Plan
• Citizen proposed alternative that leaves the
  railbed frequently, and completely leaves the
  rail corridor in the vicinity of East Lake
  Sammamish Place SE for about 1.6 miles.

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How do the alternatives differ?

• ALTERNATIVE A No Action
• Does not provide a trail at all
• ALTERNATIVE B Railbed/Rail Corridor
• Uses the railbed alignment almost entirely for
  all trail users. Equestrian users are separated
  from the paved trail by 5 ft. for the most part,
  where the width of the corridor allows. For some
  sections, equestrians share the multi-use trail.
• ALTERNATIVE C Rundle/Haro Plan
• Goes outside of the County-owned rail corridor,
  and is adjacent to other public roads. Equestrian
  use remains on the railbed where this condition
  exists. In other locations, it is typically
  separated by 5 ft., or combined for short
  distances as in ALTERNATIVE B.

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What information is available at this scoping
meeting?

• Issues and concerns identified through the
  scoping process to date
• SEPA and NEPA information
• Refined trail alternatives
• Location of proposed trail amenities
• Information regarding trail art

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How do we submit scoping comments?

• Write your comments on a flip chart
• Complete a comment form
• Talk to a court reporter
• E-mail your comments to
• dcfm.sepacomments_at_metrokc.gov
• Send your written comments
• Cheryl Fambles, Responsible Official
• King County Construction and Facilities
  Management
• 500 Fourth Ave. Room 320
• Seattle, WA 98104

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Your submitted comments will be used to

• Ensure that the Environmental Impact Statement
  covers all issues and concerns
• Provide information about impacts
• Help inform the decision makers who will be
  making Master Plan recommendations

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Want more information?

• Visit the project web site
• www.metrokc.gov/dcfm/elst.htm
• Contact Project Manager Robin Cole
• [phone]
• E-mail the responsible official
• dcfm.sepacomments_at_metrokc.gov
• Send a letter to the Federal Highway
  Administration
• Elizabeth Healy
• 711 South Capital Way, Suite 501
• Olympia, WA 98501