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Kittitas County, WA <br />§ 17A.07.070 KITTITAS COUNTY CODE § 17A.07.070 <br />Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/KI6857 on 2025-05-15 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1 Natural heritage sites, alkali wetlands, and bogs are considered irreplaceable wetlands because they <br />perform special functions that cannot be replaced through compensatory mitigation. Impact to such <br />wetlands would therefore result in a net loss of some functions no matter what kind of mitigation is <br />provided. <br />2 Provides gains in a whole suite of functions both at the site and sub-basin scale. Rehabilitation <br />actions often focus on restoring environmental processes that have been disturbed or altered by <br />previous and/or ongoing human activity. <br />3 Actions which provide gains in only a few functions. Enhancement action often focuses on <br />structural or superficial improvements to a site and generally does not address larger scale <br />environmental processes <br />4 Compensatory mitigation for vernal pool impacts must be seasonally ponded wetland area(s). <br />7. Increased replacement ratios. The Director may increase the wetland mitigation ratios stated in Table <br />KCC 17A.07.070.6 under the following circumstances: <br />a. Uncertainty exists as to the probable success of the proposed restoration or creation; <br />b. A significant period of time will elapse between impact and replication of wetland functions; <br />c. Proposed mitigation will result in a lower category wetland or reduced functions relative to the <br />wetland being impacts; or <br />d. The impact was an unauthorized impact. <br />8. Alternative mitigation ratios. The Director may approve different mitigation ratios when the applicant <br />proposes a combination of wetland creation, restoration, rehabilitation, and/or enhancement, provided <br />that federal and state resource agencies approve the mitigation plan and the plan achieves no net loss <br />of wetland functions and values. <br />9. Mitigation ratios for wetland buffer impacts. To mitigate impacts to functions and values of wetland <br />buffers, a minimum buffer ratio of 1:1 (alteration area: mitigation area) is required. This ratio assumes <br />that creation/restoration of a wetland buffer with appropriate native vegetation is sufficient to <br />compensate for the wetland buffer functions and values affected by alteration of an existing wetland <br />buffer. If enhancement of an existing wetland buffer is proposed as mitigation, a higher mitigation <br />ratio may be required. For any proposed wetland buffer alterations or development, the applicant must <br />show that the functions and values of the altered wetland buffer will be fully replaced by the proposed <br />mitigation. The Director may increase the buffer mitigation ratios under the following circumstances: <br />a. The replacement ratio needed to recover the lost functions and values of buffer area is greater <br />than 1:1 based upon the existing type of vegetative cover of either the impact site or the proposed <br />mitigation site. <br />b. Uncertainty exists as to the probable success of the proposed restoration or creation; <br />c. A significant period of time will elapse between impact and replication of wetland functions; <br />d. The impact was an unauthorized impact. <br />10. Mitigation plans. Compensatory wetland mitigation plan shall be consistent with "Guidance on <br />Wetland Mitigation in Washington State Part 2: Developing Mitigation Plans" (Ecology Publication