EVERETT – For about four years, Snohomish County has been stuck in the muck writing and debating protective regulations for wetlands, streams and lakes.
State law says the rules, called critical area regulations, were supposed to be updated Dec. 1, 2004.
Since then, the county has been out of compliance with the state Growth Management Act and ineligible for some state grants and loans. It also has lost points on its competitive applications for park grants.
“That’s why we need to get this thing done,” said Peter Camp, who specializes in land-use issues for County Executive Aaron Reardon.
The County Council has scheduled public hearings at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The rules for the first time add lakes as sensitive areas with protective buffers of land. There also are proposed protections for areas where river channels are expected to shift.
The regulations also propose to manage environmentally sensitive areas based on their benefit to the environment, and a monitoring program is being drafted and analyzed for costs, Camp said.
The county has been working on the rules since 2003.
Nearly a year ago, the County Council and planning commission held joint public hearings on proposed regulations. Builders, environmentalists and residents turned out in force.
Those groups are expected again Tuesday.
“The county has been working on the issue for a long time,” said Dave Andersen, plan review and technical assistance manager with the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.
“This has taken a long time because there are a lot of people with a lot of interests that need to be resolved.”
That said: “We’d like to see them (the County Council) take action as soon as they can,” he said.
Public hearings on proposed Snohomish County critical areas regulations for streams, lakes and wetlands are planned at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday on the first floor of the county’s east administration building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. For more information, go to www.snoco.org.
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