Chehalis Basin Watershed Planning Land Use

What is the issue?

The issue is land use as it is applied by local governments (cities and counties) and tribes and the correlation between land use, watershed management planning and the basin water resources. It is essential to establish a link between the use of land and the function of the watershed. A disconnect between these two elements of the environment may result in development activities that are at cross-purposes with the environment or which will create conflict among community-based goals, policies, and plans.

Background

Local governments and tribes administer land use in the Chehalis Basin. They are also responsible for providing the infrastructure to support development and have oversight regarding mitigation to minimize development impacts. Much of the success of watershed planning will rely on prudent land use decisions and capital facilities investments.

The intent of land use planning is to guide the development of better communities by providing quality decisions and information related to land use, building safety, and environmental protection. Land use planning creates policies that guide how the land and its resources will be used. The social, cultural, and economic interests of stakeholders direct planning. Land use plans typically include:

• a vision for community development,
• resource and land management strategies,
• cultural and traditional land use areas,
• land use and protected areas, and
• monitoring and review processes.

Land use planning generally falls into one of two categories:

Long-range planning includes preparation of comprehensive land use plans, Growth Management Act (GMA) compliance, and the preparation of land use and environmental regulations.

Short-term or current planning programs include the review and approval of sub-divisions of land; mobile home parks; shoreline management permits along many rivers, streams and lakes; critical area permits (when adopted as required by GMA); infectious waste facilities; and environmental impact reviews.

GMA directs counties and cities to prepare and implement comprehensive plans. The development of a Comprehensive Plan, the purpose of which is to provide for the orderly physical development of communities, serves as a prerequisite to the enactment of zoning regulations.

GMA also directs cities and counties to address water resources in a variety of ways. It gives them the responsibility and authority to plan for water quality and water systems through comprehensive plans and development regulations. The GMA requires all cities and counties in the state to ensure that:

• Development regulations, including shoreline master programs, are consistent with and carry out the comprehensive plan.
• Building permits are conditioned on evidence of an adequate quantity and quality of water.
• Subdivisions are approved only after findings of an adequate quantity and quality of water.
• Natural resource lands and critical areasare designated and protected using best available science. In the Chehalis Basin, eight counties together with their respective cities have land use plans that guide the development of the communities.

Watershed planning will ultimately provide the community with a level of predictability that can be used in the development or updating of land use regulations, such as comprehensive plans or zoning ordinances. It will result in the acknowledgement and affirmation of a perspective that values the integration of watershed planning with land use planning.

Possible Solutions & Toolbox

• Accept the status quo approach because existing land use and water resources laws and regulations provide an acceptable level of protection.
• Currently all counties, regardless of GMA, must designate resource lands and protect critical areas, which is accomplished through Ordinances. Existing comprehensive plans contain many elements that affect local or regional needs and actions involving water resources.
• Suggest modifications to the land use plans to consider impacts to the natural environment, availability of water resources, and lessening of wastewater and stormwater.
• Review water resource strategies examined and developed through other issue papers for consistency with the local land use plans. Flag any inconsistency and address it with the participation of the respective local jurisdictions(s).
• Recommend development standards that encourage low impact development in the Chehalis Basin.

  Key components of this recommendation would include improved water conservation, better stormwater management, minimization or mitigation for development near riparian zones, and development of water resource monitoring plans. Some of the components are already in place such as the flood plain management regulations, shoreline regulations and critical areas ordinances. Some regulations are subject to periodic updates. The watershed planning process could provide information for inclusion into such updates by providing access to technical resources and historical knowledge that might not be as readily available to some local jurisdictions.

• Encourage the development of standardized data management and monitoring. This would involve consolidating the documented impacts of development and water use on water quantity, water quality, instream flow, and habitat into a common database. This option provides a framework for managing data and monitoring water resources in the basin.

Recommendations

Implementation

 Natural Resource lands include agricultural, forest, and mineral resource lands as described in Chapter 36.70A.170 RCW.

 Critical areas include the following: (a) Wetlands; (b) areas with a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water; (c) fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas; (d) frequently flooded areas; and (e) geologically hazardous areas. (Chapter 36.70A.030-Definitions).

Draft 5-21-03, Short Version