Final Site Selection Report Kittitas_082118

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SECTION 6 AX0622181133PDX 6-1 Final Recommendation and Next Steps On the basis of the information and results from the site screening process documented in the previous sections, the top-ranked sites for the design and construction of Kittitas County’s new transfer station site are as shown below (sites listed in order of ranking): 1. Site 33: US 97/Old Highway Site 2. Site 1: Cement Plant Site 3. Site 25: Tjossem Road Site This Site Selection Report will be presented to the BOCC office along with the project findings and recommendations presented herein. The Kittitas County Commission will issue a final decision to the community with a final site recommendation for the new Kittitas County transfer station. With BOCC acceptance, the team will begin preparing applications for local, state, and federal approvals and permits. The most critical approval for the project is the Solid Waste Facility Permit. The granting of this permit requires compliance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) (WAC 197-11). SEPA is a multiagency collaboration and a public process to identify and analyze environmental impacts associated with government actions. The State delegates SEPA compliance for the Solid Waste Facility Permit to the Kittitas County Public Health Department. In the case of the preferred US 97/Old Highway 10 Site, another major hurdle for the project is the land use change required from the City of Ellensburg Planning Division. The project would not be approved without a rezone; therefore, the SEPA lead agency may be either the Public Health Department or the Planning Division. It is preferable to perform permitting before and during the final design phase of the project so that changes to site design and operation can mitigate potential impacts. The following list is a summary of the types of permits required and a generalized schedule for the next steps of the project: • State and Federal − SEPA: Meets requirements for Section 106, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act  Hold preapplication meeting and establish lead agency  Conduct fieldwork if needed, for example, wetland and streams, cultural resources, noise, visual quality, traffic impact, air quality, and topographic/lands survey  Obtain Determination of Significance – SEPA Checklist or SEPA environmental impact statement − National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Construction Stormwater General Permit − FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map Online Letter of Map Change application • Local − City of Ellensburg Community Development Department preapplication meeting – opportunity to discuss the land use development requirements (including rezoning), building code requirements, Public Works and Energy Services requirements (including FEMA Floodplain Hazard boundary), and other environmental issues − Kittitas County – Public Health Department Solid Waste Facility Permit − Various construction permits – for grading and filling, rights of way, driveways, traffic control