PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT Nisqually River Basin Plan Volume 1 – Basin Plan & FSEIS January 2012 Basin Plan & DSEIS - PUBLICREVIEW DRAFT Plan Basin River Nisqually 1 Volume Contributors Nisqually River Basin Plan Nisqually River Basin Plan Contributors Pierce County Pat McCarthy Brian J. Ziegler, Director, Public Works and Utilities Harold Smelt, Surface Water Management Manager Dan Wrye, Water Quality/Watershed Services Manager Hans Hunger, CIP Program Manager Project Managers: Trish Byers, Senior Planner Roy Huberd, Senior Planner Randy Brake, Civil Engineer Publishing Coordinator: Tracie Esher Contributing Staff: Dennis Dixon Tony Fantello Rodney Gratzer David Grinstead Marsha Huebner Janine Redmond Lorin Reinelt Barbara Ann Smolko Brown and Caldwell Nisqually Indian Tribe Authors: Michael Milne Jeanette Dorner Nathan Foged Florian Leischner Tim Krause Jennifer Cutler Jennifer Belknap Williamson Sayre Hodgson Colleen Doten George Walter Technical Staff: ESA ADOLFSON Yonia Akini David Carlton Sherrie Chang Steven Kruger Ada Hamilton Robin Lee Michael Prett John Rundell Justin Twenter Patrick Weber Pierce County Public Works & Utilities Contributors-1 www.piercecountywa.org/water TABLE OF CONTENTS NISQUALLY RIVER BASIN PLAN NISQUALLY RIVER BASIN PLAN Executive Summary .................................................................. ES-1 ES.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. ES-1 ES.2 GOALS and Objectives ........................................................................................................ ES-1 ES.3 NISQUALLY River Basin ....................................................................................................... ES-4 ES.4 PROBLEMS, Analysis, and Recommendations ................................................................... ES-5 ES.4.1 Flooding and Drainage Problems, Analysis and Recommendations ........................... ES-5 ES.4.2 Water Quality Problems, Analysis and Recommendations ........................................ ES-6 ES.4.3 Aquatic Habitat Problems, Analysis and Recommendations ...................................... ES-6 ES.5 BASIN PLAN SUmmary........................................................................................................ ES-7 CHAPTER ONE Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Basin Planning Program .................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Planning Area ......................................................................................................................... 1-4 1.2 Planning Area ......................................................................................................................... 1-4 1.2.1 Key Elements of the Basin Plan ................................................................................ 1-4 1.4 Plan goals and objective ................................................................................................... 1-7 CHAPTER TWO Applicable Programs, Policies, and Regulations ................................................. 2-1 2.1 Federal Regulations, Policies and Programs ..................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Clean Water Act ......................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) ...................................................................... 2-4 2.1.3 Endangered Species Act............................................................................................ 2-5 2.2 State Regulations, Plans, and Permits .............................................................................. 2-6 2.2.1 State Water Quality Standards ................................................................................. 2-6 2.2.2 Section 401 Water Quality Certification ................................................................... 2-7 2.2.3 Puget Sound Partnership .......................................................................................... 2-7 2.2.4 The Growth Management Act and the Comprehensive Plan for Pierce County, Washington .............................................................................................................................. 2-8 2.2.5 State Hydraulic Code ................................................................................................ 2-9 2.2.6 1998 Watershed Management Act ........................................................................ 2-10 2.2.7 Substitute House Bill 323 ........................................................................................ 2-10 Pierce County Public Works & Utilities TOC-1 www.piercecountywa.org/water Surface Water Management Division TABLE OF CONTENTS NISQUALLY RIVER BASIN PLAN 2.2.8 Archaeological and Cultural Coordination.............................................................. 2-11 2.2.9 Forest Practices Act ................................................................................................ 2-12 2.3 PIERCE County Regulations .................................................................................................. 2-13 2.3.1 Critical Areas Ordinance ......................................................................................... 2-13 2.3.2 Land Use and Zoning Designations and Development Regulations ....................... 2-13 2.3.3 Pierce County Shoreline Master Program .............................................................. 2-14 2.3.4 Pierce County SEPA Regulations ............................................................................. 2-14 2.4 SUMMARY OF KEY REGULATIONS AND PROGRAMS ...................................................... 2-15 2.5 COUNTY LAND USE POLICIES .......................................................................................... 2-17 2.6 PIERCE COUNTY BASIN PLANNING PROGRAM ............................................................... 2-19 CHAPTER THREE Stakeholder Involvement ................................................................................. 3-1 3.1 Importance of Stakeholder Involvement .......................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Stakeholder Involvement for Nisqually River Basin Plan .................................................. 3-2 3.2.1 Pierce County Surface Water Management ............................................................. 3-3 3.2.2 Nisqually Tribe .......................................................................................................... 3-3 3.2.3 Federal Entities .......................................................................................................... 3-3 3.2.4 State Agencies........................................................................................................... 3-6 3.2.5 Pierce County Agencies ............................................................................................ 3-8 3.2.6 Other Municipalities ................................................................................................. 3-9 3.2.7 Other Entities .......................................................................................................... 3-11 3.2.8 Citizens within the Nisqually River Basin ................................................................ 3-12 CHAPTER FOUR Current and Future Conditions .......................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Land Use and Population .................................................................................................. 4-1 4.1.1 Land Use ................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1.2 Population ................................................................................................................. 4-7 4.2 Topography, Soils, and Rainfall ............................................................................................ 9 4.2.1 Topography and Geology .......................................................................................... 4-9 4.2.2 Soils ......................................................................................................................... 4-12 4.2.3 Rainfall .................................................................................................................... 4-15 4.3 Natural and Constructed Drainage ................................................................................. 4-17 4.3.1 Drainage Overview ................................................................................................. 4-17 Pierce County Public Works & Utilities TOC-2 www.piercecountywa.org/water Surface Water Management Division TABLE OF CONTENTS NISQUALLY RIVER BASIN PLAN 4.3.2 Natural Drainage Systems ...................................................................................... 4-20 4.3.3 Constructed Drainage Systems ............................................................................... 4-35 4.3.4 Stream Flow ............................................................................................................ 4-39 4.3.5 Flood Hazard Areas ................................................................................................. 4-46 4.3.6 Groundwater .........................................................................................................