Laserfiche WebLink
conference with the FAA). Knowing that wetland mitigation (or the lack thereof) will <br />impact the construction timelines for parallel taxiway, we are not well served to continue <br />down the wetland mitigation bank track. At best, we have two years to get a proposal in <br />front of the USACE, the FAA and Washington State Department of Ecology (WA DOE) <br />— mitigating adverse construction impacts. The County has two possible mitigation sites <br />in current ownership: Hansen Ponds and M Farm. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />Soliciting USACE for support of developing an "Advanced Mitigation Plan" (AMP) <br />circumvents the necessity for developing a wetland mitigation bank. By retaining <br />ownership of the site, we can conceivably reduce the start-up time tied to wetland <br />mitigation banks (5 years +/-) — aside from the long review time currently taking place at <br />the USACE and WA DOE. <br />Recognizing the need for advanced mitigation planning, representatives of the USACE, <br />WA DOE and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) jointly <br />signed the regulatory guide on advance permittee -responsible mitigation (December <br />2012). A copy is attached as EXHIBIT 2. The guide states: "This Guide is intended to <br />provide flexibility and emphasizes using a watershed approach in planning and designing <br />sites, while operating within existing regulatory frameworks". This is significant as the <br />FAA desires offsite mitigation of wetlands at Bowers Field. Hansen Ponds and M Farm <br />are located so as not to cause concern for the FAA relative to attracting waterfowl. <br />Numerous advantages appear to exist using the advanced mitigation planning approach. <br />The biggest advantage of developing an AND is that we can conceivably get credit for <br />restoration activities (M Farm Spring Creek), creation and enhancement activities <br />(Hansen Ponds) and riparian preservation (M Farm). This wide-ranging approach to <br />mitigating ELN Airport Improvement Projects (AIP) appears to be the best path towards <br />mitigating an expected wetland total of approximately three acres of impact. Utilizing <br />our existing county owned sites and developing an AMP would create a ledger of <br />additional surplus mitigation credit allowing ongoing development of the Industrial land <br />bank at ELN. <br />FISCAL IMPACTS: <br />Creating the required initial memorandum for resource agency review is estimated at <br />$15,000. <br />ATTACHMENTS. <br />Exhibit 1: FAA Joint Planning Conference Notes <br />Exhibit 2: Interagency Regulatory Guide, Advance Permittee -Responsible Mitigation, <br />December 2012 <br />Page 2 of 4 <br />PUBLIC WORKS BOARD OF COUNTY CONGI4ISSIONERS WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />