Draft Shoreline Restoration Plan (PDF)
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Puyallup Shoreline Master Program Update – DRAFT Restoration Plan Draft CITY OF PUYALLUP Shoreline Restoration Plan : January 2012 January 2012 page i Puyallup Shoreline Master Program Update – DRAFT Restoration Plan January 2012 page ii Puyallup Shoreline Master Program Update – DRAFT Restoration Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................IV LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................................IV 1.0 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 REGULATORY BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 DEFINING RESTORATION .............................................................................................................. 3 1.3 KEY ELEMENTS OF RESTORATION PLANNING IN THE SMP UPDATE PROCESS ............................ 3 2.0 ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONS .................................................................................................... 4 2.1 WATERSHED CONTEXT AND SHORELINE MODIFICATIONS .......................................................... 4 2.2 HABITAT AND SPECIES .................................................................................................................. 6 2.3 LAND USE ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 ALTERED ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES AND SHORELINE FUNCTIONS ................................................ 7 3.0 RESTORATION PLANNING........................................................................................................ 13 3.1 RESTORATION FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................... 13 3.2 EXISTING PLANS AND PROGRAMS .............................................................................................. 15 4.0 RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................................................ 20 4.1 RESTORATION PRIORITIES .......................................................................................................... 20 4.2 POTENTIAL PROJECTS - PUYALLUP RIVER .................................................................................. 21 4.3 POTENTIAL PROJECTS - CLARKS CREEK ..................................................................................... 23 5.0 POLICY DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................................ 27 6.0 IMPLEMENTATION ..................................................................................................................... 28 6.1 FUNDING AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ........................................................................... 28 6.1.1 Puget Sound Partnership ...........................................................................................................28 6.1.2 Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB)..................................................................................29 6.1.3 Conservation Futures Program..................................................................................................29 6.2 TIMELINES AND BENCHMARKS ................................................................................................... 29 6.3 MECHANISMS AND STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVENESS ............................................................... 30 7.0 CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................................................. 31 8.0 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................. 33 APPENDIX A - Map Folio Map 1 - Opportunity Area Overview Map 2 - Opportunity Areas Puyallup River Map 3 - Opportunity Areas Clarks Creek January 2012 page iii Puyallup Shoreline Master Program Update – DRAFT Restoration Plan LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Mitigation versus Restoration in Shoreline Master Programs........................................................................2 Figure 2. Puyallup River Watershed..............................................................................................................................5 Figure 3. Puyallup River and Clarks Creek in the City of Puyallup ..............................................................................5 Figure 4. Schematic view of overall restoration framework (based on Palmer et al, 2005) ......................................14 LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1. Restoration Planning Structure...................................................................................................3 Table 2-1. Summary of Shoreline Functions and Programmatic Restoration Opportunities, Puyallup River.....................................................................................................................................................7 Table 2-2. Summary of Shoreline Functions and Programmatic Restoration Opportunities, Clarks Creek ............................................................................................................................................................11 Table 4-1. Site-Specific Restoration Opportunities – Puyallup River ........................................................21 Table 4-2. Site-Specific Restoration Opportunities – Clarks Creek ...........................................................24 January 2012 page iv Puyallup Shoreline Master Program Update – DRAFT Restoration Plan 1.0 Introduction This report supports the development of a restoration element to the City of Puyallup’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP). Last amended in 1987, the SMP is being updated to comply with the Shoreline Management Act (SMA) requirements (RCW 90.58), and the state’s SMP guidelines (Washington Administrative Code [WAC] 173-26, Part III), which went into effect in 2003. The SMP guidelines require that local governments develop SMP policies that promote “restoration” of impaired shoreline ecological functions and a “real and meaningful” strategy to implement restoration objectives. The City’s shoreline inventory and characterization report (ESA Adolfson, 2007) identifies which shoreline ecological functions and ecosystem processes have been impaired. In updating its SMP, the City is required to identify and plan for ways to restore or enhance those functions and processes that have been impaired. In the context of the SMP, planning for shoreline restoration includes establishing goals and policies, working cooperatively with other regional entities, and supporting restoration through other regulatory and non-regulatory programs. 1.1 Regulatory Background The state has directed local governments to develop SMP provisions “...to achieve overall improvements in shoreline ecological functions over time when compared to the status upon adoption of the master program.” This overarching goal is accomplished primarily through two distinct objectives: • Protection of existing shoreline functions through regulations and mitigation requirements to ensure “no net loss” of ecological functions from baseline environmental conditions; and • Restoration of shoreline ecological functions that have been impaired from past development practices or alterations. This distinction is illustrated in Figure 1 below. January 2012 1 Puyallup Shoreline Master Program Update – DRAFT Restoration Plan Source: Department of Ecology Figure 1. Mitigation versus Restoration in Shoreline Master Programs The concept of no net loss of shoreline ecological function is embedded in the SMA and in the goals, policies and governing principles of the shoreline guidelines. The state’s general policy goals for shorelines of the state include the “protection and restoration of ecological functions of shoreline natural resources.” This goal derives from the SMA, which states, “permitted uses in the shoreline shall be designed and conducted in a manner that minimizes insofar as practical, any resultant damage to the ecology and environment of the shoreline area.” Furthermore, the governing principles of the guidelines clarify that protection of shoreline ecological functions is accomplished through the following (WAC 173-26-186): • Meaningful understanding of the current shoreline ecological conditions, • Regulations and mitigation standards that ensure that permitted developments do not cause a net loss of ecological functions, • Regulations that ensure exempt developments in the aggregate do not result in net loss of ecological functions, • Goals and policies for restoring ecologically impaired shorelines, • Regulations and programs that fairly allocate the burden of mitigating cumulative impacts among development opportunities, and • Incentives or voluntary measures designed to restore and protect ecological functions. It is important to note that the restoration planning component of the SMP is focused on voluntary mechanisms, not regulatory provisions. Restoration planning is focused on economic January 2012 2 Puyallup Shoreline Master Program Update – DRAFT Restoration Plan incentives, available funding sources, volunteer programs, and other programs that can contribute to a no net loss strategy. However, the restoration