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Open Space <br />The Growth Managmeut Act requires cities to identify open space corridors within and <br />between urban growth areas [RCW 36.70A.160]. These corridors shall include lands that <br />are useful for remation, wildlife habitat, trails, and the cxnmection of critical areas. <br />Open space corridors provide important linkages of wildlife habitat as well as serving to <br />knit the community tighter through a system of trails. Currently within the city limits <br />infonnal open space exists as trails throughout residential neighborhoods, such as the <br />Pacific Railroad right-of-way, the ridge to the north of Cle Elum, and the Yakima Rivcr <br />plain. Additionally, formal open space exists as the Coal Mines Trail that links Cle Elum <br />and Roslyn, The Progress Path that extends from Ranger Station Road to the Cle Elum <br />Roslyn Schools, and the Hanson Ponds Trail. Cle Elum plans to provide a designated <br />open space corridor, through the City, that would link the Coal Mines Trail with the John <br />Wayne Trail. <br />The City of Cle Blum would like to we additional open space corridors along the <br />Yakima River and its associated floodplain. Lands presently zoned Industrial (Along the <br />River) would be rezoned to a newly created .zone, "River Front Park". This land is <br />currently forested land intermixed with residential structures. It is primarily floodway and <br />floodplain and is therefore unsuitable for development as currently zoned Industrial. As <br />"River Front Park District" the property would be preserved as important wildlife habitat, <br />riparian habitat, anadromous fish habitat and for parka and trail linkages. Above and <br />beyond this new zoning district, Cle Elum will explore the use of consawation <br />easements, further open space acquisition and dedication, and a change of the zoning <br />code to require a minimum of 10-ppment of new developments to be dedicated to open <br />Space. <br />Aquifer Recharge <br />As precipitation reaches the earth it does several things. It becomes part of the snow pack <br />entering into lakes, streams and rivers or wetlands, it seeps into the soil to be taken up by <br />plant roots, or seeps into the ground and becomes groundwater. As groundwater moves <br />through the ground it may discharge to surface water features, such as lakes, sheams, or <br />rivers, which will in turn recharge the groundwater. The water that remains in the ground <br />will maks up the aquifer. <br />Aquifers discharge water naturally through springs and seeps, streams, lakes and <br />wetlands. As aquifers discharge they are in -turn recharged. Recharge occurs primarily as <br />a result of the infiltration of rainfall and secondly by the movement of water from <br />adjacent aquifers or water bodies. The rate and quantity of water entering the ground <br />duds on several factors. Natural factors include amount ofprecipitation, soil type and <br />conditions, vegetation, and topography. A.quifen can also be identified by contamination <br />City of Cle Elurn -- Land Use Plan 22 <br />