14.28.465 Wetland preservation as mitigation.
Impacts to wetlands may be mitigated by preservation of wetland areas when used in combination with other forms of mitigation such as creation, restoration, or enhancement at the preservation site or at a separate location. Preservation may also be used by itself, but more restriction, as outlined below, will apply.
A. Preservation in Combination with Other Forms of Compensation. Preservation as mitigation is acceptable when done in combination with restoration, creation or enhancement providing that a minimum of 1-to-1 acreage replacement is provided by restoration or creation and the criteria below are met:
1. The impact area is small, and/or impacts are to a category III or IV wetland;
2. Preservation of a high quality system occurs in the same Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) or watershed basin as the wetland impact; and
3. Preservation sites include buffer areas adequate to protect the habitat and its functions from encroachment and degradation.
B. Preservation as a Sole Means of Mitigation for Wetland Impacts. Preservation of at risk, high quality habitat may be considered as the sole means of mitigation of wetland impacts when all of the following criteria are met:
1. Preservation is used as a form of mitigation only after the standard sequencing of mitigation (avoid, minimize, and then compensate) has been applied;
2. Creation, restoration, and enhancement opportunities have also been considered, and preservation is the best mitigation option;
3. The impact to the area is small and/or impacts are to a Category III or IV wetland;
4. Preservation of a high quality system occurs in the same Water Resource Inventory Area or a watershed where the wetland impact occurs;
5. Preservation sites include areas adequate to protect the habitat and its functions from encroachment and degradation;
6. The preservation site is determined to be under imminent threat, specifically, sites with the potential to experience a high rate of undesirable ecological change due to on or off-site activities; “potential” includes permitted, or planned, or perceived actions; and
7. The area proposed for the preservation is of a high quality and critical for the health of the watershed or basin. Some of the following features may be indicative of high quality areas;
a. Category I or II wetland rating;
b. Rare wetland type for example, bogs, estuaries;
c. Habitat for threatened or endangered species;
d. Wetland type that is rare in the area;
e. Provides biological and/or hydrological connectivity;
f. High regional or watershed importance for example, listed as a priority site in watershed plan; and
g. Large size with species diversity (plants and/or animals) and/or high abundance.
C. Mitigation Ratios for Preservation as a Sole Means of Mitigation. Mitigation ratios for preservation as the sole means of mitigation shall range from 10-to-1 to 20-to-1, as determined by the city, depending on the quality of wetlands being mitigated and the quality of the wetlands being preserved. (Ord. 1215 §18, 2003).