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<br />Marian Meadows Rezone and Subdivision Final Environmental Impact Statement 3-1 <br />What is an Environmental Impact? <br />Impacts are the effects or <br />consequences of actions (WAC 197- <br />11-752). <br />Significant impacts are those with a <br />reasonable likelihood of more than a <br />moderate adverse impact on <br />environmental quality (WAC 197-11- <br />794[1]). <br />Significance involves context and <br />intensity and does not lend itself to a <br />formula or quantifiable test. The <br />context may vary with the physical <br />setting. Intensity depends on the <br />magnitude and duration of an <br />impact. <br />The severity of an impact should be <br />weighed along with the likelihood of <br />its occurrence. An impact may be <br />considered significant even if its <br />chance of occurrence is not great if <br />the resulting environmental impact <br />would be severe if it occurred (WAC <br />197-11-794[2]). <br />Directional References to I-90 <br />I-90 traverses Washington State from <br />east to west, ultimately connecting <br />the city of Seattle on the west coast <br />of the continental United States with <br />the city of Boston on the east coast. <br />Directional references to I-90 in this <br />document respect the general east- <br />west orientation of the roadway and <br />refer to property on either the north <br />or south side of the interstate. <br />Directional references can be <br />somewhat confusing because I-90 <br />runs in a northwest to southeast <br />orientation in the vicinity of the <br />proposed site. Property “north” of I- <br />90 in this area is also east of the <br />interstate <br />Chapter 3 Environmental Consequences <br />1 What is addressed in this chapter? <br />This chapter of the FEIS analyzes the environmental <br />consequences of construction and long-term use of the proposed <br />land use action, including buildout of all lots and operation of <br />infrastructure. This chapter also includes an analysis of <br />cumulative impacts of the proposal in conjunction with buildout <br />of surrounding residential land north of I-90 at both the existing <br />zoning and at densities allowed if currently unplatted lands were <br />developed as a PUD. <br />2 What are the major features of the project location? <br />The proposed project is within the Yakima River Valley, <br />approximately 2 miles southeast of Kachess Lake. The project <br />area is located on the south-facing slopes of Easton Ridge, which <br />divides the Yakima River drainage from Domerie Creek and the <br />Cle Elum River drainage to the north. At this location, the <br />Yakima River Valley is approximately about 1.50 miles wide and <br />is bounded by Goat Mountain on the south and Easton Ridge on <br />the north. <br />The proposed site is approximately 15 miles west of the town of Cle Elum and approximately 15 miles <br />east of Snoqualmie Pass summit. It is located on the north side of I-90, and is accessed via the Sparks <br />Road interchange, Exit 70 off of I-90. The proposed site is located approximately 1 road-mile from the <br />interchange. <br />The following major natural and built features are located in the immediate project vicinity (Figures 3-1 <br />and 3-2): <br /> The Wenatchee National Forest abuts the proposed site to the east. The U.S. Forest Service is the <br />major landowner of the higher elevation forest land in the proposed site vicinity. <br /> The Easton State Airport is located approximately 0.25 mile northwest of the proposed site. <br /> The unincorporated town of Easton, on the south side of I-90, is located approximately 0.75 mile <br />west and approximately 2 road-miles from the proposed site.