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Neighbors wonder what's in the air near Kenmore asphalt plant

Some who live near the Cadman Materials plant say they can actually taste the asphalt in the air.

KENMORE, Wash. — The hulking Cadman Materials plant in Kenmore sits draped in a colorful banner depicting a heron at sunset, designed to make the rusty, gray facility bit more attractive to passers-by as they look out over the northern shores of Lake Washington.

But Dakota Rash and other neighbors wonder what else it may be covering up.

"The art is nice," he said, "but I'd like to know more about what's going on behind the banner."

Rash is a recent environmental law graduate and started looking into the Kenmore plant, located in the town where he grew up.

"It just seems like there's a blank check," he said.

Rash found documents detailing violations he said shows the company has been quietly expanding without the proper permits. A closer look appears to show the company has operated largely under the radar for the past 30 years.

"We don’t know, and can’t seem to find a record of what is happening," said Rash. "There doesn't seem to be any conditions tied to their operations, which is really kind of startling. It just seems like they're doing whatever they want without really telling us or telling the authority they're responsible to."

The Kenmore plant is located directly across the street from the Burke Gilman Trail, where countless people ride and walk through the fumes every day.

"There are people who live less than 400 feet away who say they can taste the asphalt," says Rash.

To be clear, Rash isn't saying the company is breaking any laws or poisoning the people.

He just believes the folks in his hometown deserve to know what's in the air they're breathing.

"Whether or not this facility is polluting, we deserve to know who our neighbor is," he said. "We don't know what's going on and we'd like to. Hopefully, we will."

The issue is scheduled to go before the Kenmore City Council for public comment on Monday night. 

Requests for comment to Cadman Materials were not returned prior to publication of this story.

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