Vaughn Blethen

Le'Feat commutes with her mother, Vaughn Blethen, who lives in Marysville, and a friend who lives in Mountlake Terrace.All three work at the EPA office in downtown Seattle.

Up at 5 a.m., Le'Feat is out the door with 7-year-old Isaiah in tow by 5:45 a.m.She drops him off tired and bleary-eyed at day care at 6 a.m.She won't see him again until she picks him up at about 6 p.m., or 6:15 p.m. on bad days.

Father and husband Jason Le'Feat works long, odd hours as a roofer, and often has to travel as far away as Olympia and Bellingham for jobs, so it falls on Mom to pick up and drop off Isaiah.

At 6:10 a.m., she pulls into Everett Station, where she meets up with her mother, who has been carpooling to Seattle for 17 years.

On Friday, they drive in Blethen's car.Although they're supposed to rotate drivers, it's usually Blethen who drives, because she doesn't like the rambunctious way her daughter drives.

"It's nice to be with family," said Blethen, who is always looking for new people to carpool with.
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"We try to avoid politics, religion and sex," Blethen said, especially when nonfamily members are in the car.
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Always looking for more potential carpoolers, Blethen sends out a call at the end of the ride.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find me another" carpooler, Blethen said.

So, if you start work at 7 a.m. in downtown Seattle near Seventh Avenue and Spring Street and are willing to take your turn driving, call Blethen at 360-659-7758 to discuss becoming part of her and Le'Feat's carpool family.
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Amy Le'Feat (left) of Lake Stevens and her mother, Vaughn Blethen of Marysville, arrive for work at the Environmental Protection Agency in downtown Seattle.

Vaughn Blethen EPA Region 10 206-553-0483 blethen.vaughn@epa.gov

That's the problem," said Vaughn Blethen, an enforcement officer for the EPA's Region 10 Drinking Water Unit.
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But the matter was sent to the EPA because the water system wasn't complying with the state's orders, according to Blethen.

Eventually, enforcement could go all the way to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The EPA could shut down system, but it won't, Blethen said, because it's needed for fire safety and health reasons

Dean Radford covers King County.He can be reached at dean.radford @kingcountyjournal.com or 253-872-6719.