Ordinance 3457-15 - Laserfiche WebLink

a. Increased Mitigation Ratios. The city may increase the ratios under any one of the following circumstances: i. Uncertainty as to the probable success of the proposed restoration or creation; ii. Significant period of time between destruction and replication of wetland functions; iii. The proposed mitigation will result in a lower category wetland or projected losses in functions relative to the wetland being impacted; iv. The relocation is off-site or the replacement is with out -of -kind compensation; v. The wetland has been illegally filled or altered. b. Decreased Mitigation Ratios. The city may decrease these ratios under the following circumstances: i. Documentation by a qualified wetland specialist demonstrates that the proposed mitigation actions have a very high likelihood of success. ii. Documentation by a qualified wetland specialist demonstrates that the proposed mitigation actions will provide significantly greater functions than the wetland being impacted. iii. The mitigation actions are conducted in advance of the impact and have been shown to be successful. c. In lieu of the ratios described above, mitigation ratios may be calculated using the method in Calculating Credits and Debits for Compensatory Mitigation in Wetlands of Western Washington: Final Report, March 2012. Washington State Department of Ecology Publication #10-06-011. d. In no case shall the mitigation acreage be less than that which is altered. 6. When wetland compensation is allowed, the city may require that the wetland compensation be completed and functioning prior to allowing the existing wetland to be filled or altered. For category I wetlands, the city shall require the relocated wetland area to be completed and functioning prior to allowing the existing wetland to be altered. 7. The city may limit certain development activities near a wetland to specific months in order to minimize impacts on wetland functions. 8. The city may apply additional conditions or restrictions or require specific construction techniques in order to minimize impacts on wetland functions. 9. Wetland compensation shall not occur in areas having high-quality terrestrial habitat. 10. When wetland compensation is allowed, mitigation areas shall be located to preserve or achieve contiguous wildlife habitat corridors to minimize the isolation and fragmenting effects of development on habitat areas. 11. When wetland creation is proposed, all required buffers for the creation site shall be located on the proposed creation site. Properties adjacent to or abutting wetland creation projects shall not be responsible for providing any additional buffer requirements. 12. Wetland mitigation banks are sites where wetlands are restored, created, enhanced, or in exceptional circumstances, preserved, expressly for the purpose of providing compensatory mitigation in advance of authorized impacts to similar resources. Banks typically involve the consolidation of many small wetland mitigation projects into a larger, potentially more ecologically valuable site. Such consolidation encourages greater diversity of habitat and wetland functions. It also helps create more sustainable systems. Banks provide a greater likelihood of success over permittee -responsible mitigation projects, since the banks are up and running before unavoidable damage occurs to a wetland(s) at another site. 18