County, town to update Critical Areas Ordinance

Wahkiakum County and the Town of Cathlamet are planning to work together to update their respective Critical Areas Ordinance.

The ordinance, required by state law, regulates development and other activities around environmental sensitive areas such as rivers, marshes, streams and other wetlands.

Officials met Tuesday with representatives of the Cowlitz/Wahkiakum Council of Governments (COG) to discuss the project so that they could prepare a proposed scope of work for town and county officials to consider.

COG Senior Planner T.J. Kiernan said the town and county are some of the last entities in the state to work on the project, which has a December, 2010 deadline. They'll be able to use the the experience of other entities in making their update, he said, but adding that the process isn't clear cut.

State environmental agencies have increased their standards for protecting environmentally sensitive areas, he said, and the county's existing ordinance no longer meets standards.

For example, the county ordinance now allows setbacks of 50 to 100 feet from large streams, but the recommended setback from the state Department of Commerce is 250 feet.

Local governments may propose standards that differ from the recommended state standards, he said, but they must be based on "the best available science." In other words, he said, the standards must be based on information that has undergone the scientific peer review process.

The process is time consuming and expensive, Kiernan said. For example, Cowlitz County tried for three years to establish its own best available science and ended up using the state standards, Kiernan said.

Kiernan acknowledged that setbacks are controversial for local officials.

The county could press the point that its original ordinance include the best available science at the time and involved a biologist as one of the consultants who helped write it, Kiernan said.

That suggesting drew favorable response.

"Get on her," said commission Chair Dan Cothren. "That's the best option I've heard today."

After more discussion, COG Executive Director Steve Harvey said he and Kiernan would research the progress of two other entities which are negotiating guidelines with the Department of Commerce and then outline a joint county-town plan to update the ordinance. They'll bring that socpoe of work back for the town and county to approve.

Commissioners said they expect to have as many as six public hearings on the proposed amendments to the ordinance.