Sewage Plant on the Island Next to Camas? (Bellingham, Olympia: condos, high crime)

[Searching-01]

Am I reading the maps correctly...

There's a sewage plant on the island south of Camas, and 14 goes right by it? Everyone and everything coming from or going east out of town has to drive through a cloud of sewage outgassing?

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Searching-01

Am I reading the maps correctly...

There's a sewage plant on the island south of Camas, and 14 goes right by it? Everyone and everything coming from or going east out of town has to drive through a cloud of sewage outgassing?

You don't ever notice or smell it. If the papermill is ever torn down and replaced with high-end condos and such then there will be people with waterfront property that has a view of the septic plant. But until then it is pretty out of sight. And doesn't smell that I've ever noticed.

There is another one in Washougal along the Columbia that you pass if you do the bike trail along the river.

[Searching-01]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

You don't ever notice or smell it. If the papermill is ever torn down and replaced with high-end condos and such then there will be people with waterfront property that has a view of the septic plant. But until then it is pretty out of sight. And doesn't smell that I've ever noticed.

There is another one in Washougal along the Columbia that you pass if you do the bike trail along the river.

Thanks for pointing out the other one.


Reminds me of the Bay Area of Ca... landfills everywhere. I don't know who designs this stuff, but they should be fired, LOL! I'd be working in the Bay Area or LA right now except for this kind of stuff. And earning double what I do now.

Last two possible jobs that would double my income in my industry were in El Segundo... unfortunately the Hyperion Wastewater plant is right there at the end of LAX runway... and on the beach... wouldn't move to or work in that area to double my income... so Camas and Washougal are out for me.


For me that makes both places a no-go. It's something on my list of "things to avoid".

It's not about the smell (although that would be bad), it's about knowing that the exhaust has to be in the air, even though you might not be able to notice it. Which means, in your body, your possessions your home, etc.

Same for landfills, transfer stations there's effectively a cloud of filth around them.

It's so hard to find a place with good distances from landfills, transfer stations, wastewater, and "ghetto/high crime" areas these days that a working class person can afford.

The entire country is my search area since my job goes with me. Have been looking 4 years now... every time I drill down, I find something like this.

Every place where I don't find these sort of infrastructure flaws... has housing prices like Orange County, Ca.

It's beginning to get depressing, LOL!

The message ends up being... "You have to be rich, or else..."

That said, I know of a 7 million property in Laguna Niguel that over looks a wastewater plant, so apparently even folks tremendously more successful than myself... apparently don't care that they live in sewage.

I've never been able to figure that out, as CA has many, many places with really expensive homes literally on the border of landfills. Also schools and businesses.

[182pilot]

If the entire country is in your search and you have a huge aversion to being anywhere near wastwater treatment or landfills you should not be looking at urban or suburban places. The waste has to go somewhere when there is a population center.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by 182pilot

If the entire country is in your search and you have a huge aversion to being anywhere near wastwater treatment or landfills you should not be looking at urban or suburban places. The waste has to go somewhere when there is a population center.

Wastewater and sewage runs downhill. Its physics. So most of the wastewater treatment facilities are going to be located along the Columbia, or near the Columbia (like the Salmon Creek plant) where the treated effluent mostly goes.

[StealthRabbit]

Camas was a 'Mill Town' before a residential suburbia center.

The island OP refers is the treatment site for the mill (Not very heavy use for last 20 yrs)

That said... it will be a superfund site, but eventually very attractive for development (not in my lifetime).

There is 99% of the county free from a view / proximity to treatment plants. Our garbage goes to eastern Columbia Gorge (OR and WA). Upstream... (As is Hanford Nuclear site and a coal fired Energy plant. (in the 'Mighty Columbia River Basin')

OP might want to exclude the USA from future retirement sites.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, how about WA State, the Puget Sound area? And the Olympic Peninsula?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, how about WA State, the Puget Sound area? And the Olympic Peninsula?

next door to a Nuclear Sub Base? (And associated pollutants from high density of Puget Sound region)

Canada seems more fitting, and a lot more green. (less risk of pollutants, in most areas.)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

next door to a Nuclear Sub Base? (And associated pollutants from high density of Puget Sound region)

Canada seems more fitting, and a lot more green. (less risk of pollutants, in most areas.)

Don't assume anything about Canada. I was looking at the beauty of Howe Sound, in extreme West Van, marveling that a breathtaking fjord was right there, within the city limits (partially). I did some research, and discovered there's mercury and other pollutants from mining that took place right there, along the Sound. Then I found out, that BC is big into mining, much of it right on the coast, affecting beaches and coastal waters. It's actually toxic to swim or wade in Howe Sound! And before you say it's too cold for that anyway, there are summer camps located there, and elsewhere on the coast and in nearby waters, where kids do swim.

Bellingham is far form a nuclear sub base, and so is Olympia. OP didn't mention that, as on his don't-go list. It's pretty hard to outrun the downsides of civilization. Lake Chelan? Tahoe, if you can afford it? The San Juan Islands? WA's. Pacific Coast?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Don't assume anything about Canada. I was looking at the beauty of Howe Sound, in extreme West Van, marveling that a breathtaking fjord was right there, within the city limits (partially). I did some research, and discovered there's mercury and other pollutants from mining that took place right there, along the Sound. Then I found out, that BC is big into mining, much of it right on the coast, affecting beaches and coastal waters. It's actually toxic to swim or wade in Howe Sound! And before you say it's too cold for that anyway, there are summer camps located there, and elsewhere on the coast and in nearby waters, where kids do swim.

Bellingham is far form a nuclear sub base, and so is Olympia. OP didn't mention that, as on his don't-go list. It's pretty hard to outrun the downsides of civilization. Lake Chelan? Tahoe, if you can afford it? The San Juan Islands? WA's. Pacific Coast?

Bellingham is really expensive for WA though a nice college town. The OP doesn't like the homeless of Olympia from another thread.

Tahoe is actually not a bad idea. Although the OP mentioned liking warmer weather. So the snow may be too much. However, if you go to the Nevada side there is no state tax and lower elevation with less snow. A friend from work just retired there.

We actually like the Sacramento area for more affordability. That was our second choice if we were to stay in CA. It's a pretty short drive to Tahoe from eastern Sacramento around Auburn.

Derek