Town officials review proposed shoreline buffers

Representatives from the Town of Cathlamet met with Garrett Phillips, a coastal planner with the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) to go over recent changes to the Shoreline Management Plan and how it would affect the town last Wednesday.

Most of the discussion centered around wetland buffers.

“Part of the purpose of the buffer is to filter nutrients, sediment, and pollutants that would run off from the developed area to the stream,” Phillips said.

There are four categories of wetlands according to the plan. Higher quality wetlands come with a higher priority for protection and therefore, bigger buffers and higher intensity land use like industrial development comes with the potential for a bigger impact than a home or a trail.

“That is the case on the existing SMP that you’ve had for years,” Phillips said, “and it will be the case for the new SMP.”

The buffers currently range in size from 25 feet to 200 feet, depending on wetland quality. The proposed SMP would change the range to 25 to 300 feet.

According to Phillips there are ways to lessen the intensity of land use and reduce the buffer width.

For instance:

• Buffers can be averaged based on neighboring properties and how close their structures are to the wetland.

• Based on the conditions of a property, a landowner can expand the buffer in one place and decrease the buffer in another area.

“The existing SMP allows you to average by 50 percent, but the Department of Ecology and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as standard accepted science state that 25 percent is the accepted allowable amount for averaging to ensure no net loss of ecological functions,” Garrett said.

The highest category is urban conservancy, according to Garrett. The wetlands along Birnie Creek and the far north end of town are in that category.

“I think for the town,” Garrett said, “the riparian buffers are more relevant. Urban conservancy is the highest quality environment and so we propose a 200 foot buffer on it. That could change if we discover issues with how that might affect development either at the far north part of town or around Birnie Creek. Those are the only two places that we have urban conservancy.”

He pointed out that public access and park development is permitted in urban conservancy.

The conversation turned to residential buffers.

“They’ve changed,” Phillips said. “There is a small area designated residential in the Elochoman Slough area. Existing setbacks are relatively small. We wanted to make the buffer reflect the existing distances so we are not putting existing buildings inside the buffer.”

Unless, as Phillips pointed out, it’s water dependent. If the new structure is water dependent, it can be closer to the water.

For residential areas along the cliffs, the buffer is bigger to offset the steep slopes. Steeper slopes equal faster moving water. That means the water isn’t properly filtered as it runs off.

A mixed waterfront gives the most flexibility, according to Garrett. Water dependence and public access do not need buffers at all.

“The county buffers are getting bigger I would generally say,” Garrett said, “but in the town, it’s a little more varied, depending on the location.”

Phillips indicated that he hoped that the town would begin formally reviewing the SMP in July or August.