Ord 2625 - TMC Title 18 Chapters - Critical Areas Regulations

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Section 29. TMC Section 18.45.100 is hereby reenacted to read as follows: 18.45.100 Watercourse Designations, Ratings and Buffers A. WATERCOURSE RATINGS. Watercourse ratings are consistent with the Washington Department of Natural Resources water typing categories (WAC 222-16- 030) or as amended, which are based on the existing habitat functions and classified as follows: 1. Type S Watercourse: Watercourses inventoried as Shorelines of the State, under RCW 90.58. These watercourses shall be regulated under TMC Chapter 18.44, Shoreline Overlay. 2. Type F Watercourse: Those watercourses that are known to be used by fish or meet the physical criteria to be potentially used by fish (as established in WAC 222-16-031(3) or as amended) and that have perennial (year-round) or seasonal flows. 3. Type Np Watercourse: Those watercourses that have perennial flows and do not meet the criteria of a Type F stream or have been proven not to contain fish using methods described in the Forest Practices Board Manual Section 13. 4. Type Ns Watercourse: Those watercourses that have intermittent flows (do not have surface flow during at least some portion of the year); do not meet the physical criteria of a Type F watercourse; or have been proven to not support fish using methods described in the Forest Practices Board Manual Section 13. B. WATERCOURSE BUFFERS. Any land alteration must be located out of the buffer areas as required by this section. Watercourse buffers are intended in general to: 1. Minimize long-term impacts of development on properties containing watercourses; 2. Protect the watercourse from adverse impacts during development; 3. Preserve the edge of the watercourse and its buffer for its critical habitat value; 4. Provide shading to maintain stable water temperatures and vegetative cover for additional wildlife habitat; 5. Provide input of organic debris and uptake of nutrients; 6. Provide an area to stabilize banks, to absorb overflow during high water events and to allow for slight variation of aquatic system boundaries over time due to hydrologic or climatic effects; 7. Reduce erosion and increased surface water runoff; 8. Reduce loss of, or damage to, property; 9. Intercept fine sediments from surface water runoff and serve to minimize water quality impacts; and w:\Legislative Development\Critical Areas update 2-25-20 MD:bjs Review and analysis by Barbara Saxton Page 28 of 87