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CHAPTER 4. KITTITAS COUNTY PROFILE <br />4-7 <br />Precipitation <br />As is typical of areas in the lee of large coastal mountain ranges, the Yakima River basin is generally arid. <br />Precipitation varies with elevation and distance from the Cascades, from 150 inches annually at the Cascade <br />crest to 10 inches at the Columbia River. Disparities in precipitation rates from one area to another affect <br />runoff rates and the character of rivers in different drainages, which influence flooding and land -use <br />potential. <br />Summers in Kittitas County tend to be dry; approximately two-thirds of the county’s precipitation occurs <br />between October and April, with much in the form of snow. In the winter, considerable snow often <br />accumulates in the higher elevations. In the Kittitas Valley, snow season generally ranges from November <br />through February, with significant variation from one season to the next. <br />4.3.6 Land Use <br />Kittitas County is characterized as rural, forested and range-land, with some densely populated areas. <br />Settlers originally came to this area to take advantage of opportunities for logging, sawmills, farming and <br />services for the resource industries. Today, traditional economic sectors such as logging and other forest- <br />related industries are in decline due to restrictions on logging and the transition of land to conservation and <br />parks. A large part of the growing economy is based on tourism and recreational activities. Much of the <br />developed landscape reflects this and consists of vacation/recreational housing, single family units, <br />highway-oriented service/retail commercial development, and recreational uses such as golf courses and <br />parks. Most remaining nonfederal and non-state land is privately held forest and some agricultural land. <br />In the Snoqualmie Pass area, resource allocation, in the form of timber harvesting, is the predominant land <br />use, with sporadic areas used for recreational purposes. Resource allocation is also predominant at the mid- <br />elevations; however, residential development becomes more common in these areas. At lower elevations, <br />agricultural activities are the main land use, with residential development intermixed. The Yakima Training <br />Center, located in the southeastern portion of the county, makes up a large percentage of the ownership in <br />the lower Kittitas Valley—approximately 164,132 acres. Table 4-1 lists existing zoning as identified in the <br />2016 County Comprehensive Plan. <br /> <br />Table 4-1. Zoning by Acreage <br />Type of Land Use Land Use Designations Acres Zoning Classification Acres <br />Resource <br />Commercial Agriculture 291,614.3 Commercial Agriculture 291,614.3 <br />Commercial Forest 800,511.3 Commercial Forest 800,511.3 <br />Mineral 5,745 Zoning Classification Varies 5,750.7 <br /> <br /> <br />Rural <br /> <br /> <br />Rural Residential 30,013 <br />Agriculture 5 11,932.5 <br />Rural 5 18,228.2 <br />General Commercial 4.5 <br />Planned Unit Development 0 <br />Rural Working 329,982 Agriculture 20 113,251.6