PD-17-00001 Marian Meadows Full Record with Index (2)

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Marian Meadows Rezone and Subdivision Final Environmental Impact Statement 3-152 make control of a fire in the watershed difficult. Removal of vegetation cover due to a wildfire in the watershed could lead to erosion that might degrade the quality of water from the watershed until vegetation regenerated. Provision of Access Provision of more than one access road to the western portion of the site in the event that Sparks Road was blocked or impeded would greatly increase the reliability of fire response. Two potential access options are available. One would be access from the south from I-90, Exit 71. This would involve a bridge over the Yakima River and connection to Hawthorn Lane, which is not currently maintained by the county. The second would be access from the north across either the public land at the Easton State Airport or the National Forest and connecting to Silver Creek Road which bridges Silver Creek. This access could be initiated at either Silver Ridge Ranch Road or from Kachess Dam Road. To be effective in the winter, snow would have to be cleared from these routes. Extenstive coordination with the public agency controlling both of these routes would be required to accomplish this access, which may or may not be consistent with agency land management policies. Because the highest risk of structural fires spreading and the risk of wildfires are greatest in the summer, securing these routes for summer access would be beneficial. Provision of an additional access to the steep eastern portion of the site would substantially decrease the risk of residents being trapped in the area by a fire moving rapidly uphill. There is, however, little potential for access to the north from National Forest land or from the south from even more steeply sloping private land. Provision of more than one access road to the steep eastern portion of the site would greatly increase the reliability of fire response and reduce the potential for loss of life and property if the single access were blocked during a fire blocking both escape for persons in the eastern area and access from the west for personnel and equipment. There is not, however, a practical alternative access on the site given topography, the length of the site, and road grades. In the absence of a second access road, the risk of closure of the access during an emergency would be reduced by providing a wider roadway resulting in less potential for blockage. A similar strategy has been employed for bridges providing the single access to islands. For example, the Camano Island Bridge on SR 532 was designed to a 56-foot width with 14- foot shoulders rather than the standard 36- to 44-foot width for a two-lane roadway to increase the probability that at least one lane would remain open in case of an accident. Access to the eastern portion of the site would also be substantially improved by a lower roadway grade. A lower grade decreases response time, especially during times when there is snow on the road. A roadway grade greater than 10 percent is generally considered to substantially reduce response time for heavy trucks, particularly a long continuous grade such as would be present in this case (FireWise 2009). Provision of Facilities In addition to volunteer personnel and training, fire fighting requires equipment and buildings to house that equipment. The addition of up to 443 additional residential units in the district would increase the