HomeMy WebLinkAboutBLD2009-00076 Wetland 003ns1,41q • •
-T - WESTECH COMPANY
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{ , 1- Environmental Consulting-Site Permitting
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September 23, 2008 REC " IvED
Mr. Eugene Bunker 209
14603 157th Place, SE
Renton, WA 98059-7438
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Dear Mr. Bunker:
This letter provides information for a wetland/stream determination carried out on your
property (Parcel #412-192-017) on the Clearwater River located at 2753 Clearwater
Road. I conducted a Site Reconnaissance visit to your property on September 18,
2008. The property lies on the west side of Clearwater Road between the road and the
river, just north of the Hurst Creek Bridge and Hurst Park. The property is listed as 1.39
acres in size by the Assessor's Map for NW 1/4 of Section 19, Township 24 North,
Range 12 West.
The Site is largely a flat area extending nearly 140 feet from the road, with a 5-6 foot
drop to a terrace about 40-50 feet in length, where the landscape is incised by a small
creek. The entire back of the property is a low-lying area at the terrace elevation,
extending to the Clearwater River. A considerable portion of the back area lying west of
the creek may be considered as a Category IV wetland. A small Category IV wetland
also lies on the east side of the creek, on the adjacent property to the north.
Vegetation on the site is sparse near the road where the Site has been graded recently.
The main part of the eastern site is covered with typical grass species (ryegrass, fescue
etc.). Large trees are scattered on the southeastern side of the parcel including western
red cedar, Pacific spruce, Douglas fir and hemlock. These trees plus alders also lie
around the fringes of the cleared area as well as west of the stream. The under-story
vegetation includes elderberry, Indian plum and similar species in the uplands and
buttercup, plantain, skunk cabbage, velvet-grass, curled dock and horsetail etc. in the
wetlands.
Site soils were a medium brown gravelly silt loam. These soils graded to a silt loam in
the wetlands east of the stream, with a darker brown color. The Soil Conservation
Service (SCS 1975) has mapped the portion of the Site near the road as Queets silt
loam, a moderately well drained dark brown silty loam. Nearer the unnamed creek and
the Clearwater River, soils are more likely characterized as Hoh fine sandy Loam, a
somewhat gravelly dark-grayish brown fine sandy loam.
P.O. Box 2876-Port Angeles,Washington 98362-Telephone: (360)565-1333-Fax: (360)452-6708
email: westech@westechcompany.com
E CEiI V j ' ;
Eugene Bunker MAR 1 6 2009
September 23, 2008
Page Two JEffElial COUNTY
Site hydrologic function includes the stream draining the wetland to the north and the
river and lower stream-bed intercepting surface and near surface groundwater running
south from the western end of the parcel. The stream enters the river at a point on a
gravel bar above a backwater area. The stream had very low flow and water did not
reach the river until about 50 feet across the gravel bar from the stream mouth. It
appears unlikely that the stream contains significant fish populations. Fish could only
reach the stream during extreme high flows in the river.
Neither DNR nor Jefferson County has mapped the unnamed stream on the property.
Characteristics indicate that the stream is a Type 5, seasonal, non-fish bearing stream
despite the presence of salmonids in the Clearwater River. This is a stream which
appears to be non-flowing or dry during summer months. Due to the outlet of the
stream, which discharges to a gravel bar, it appears unlikely that fish can enter or leave
the stream during most of the spring and summer months. In winter, when flows are
high, the mouth of the stream could provide some refuge habitat; however, there does
not appear to be any spawning or other high value fish habitat near the project Site.
Based on these characteristics, we therefore have Classified the stream as Ns (Type 5)
with gradient less than 20 percent, and have defined a 50 foot buffer zone according to
the Jefferson County Critical Areas Code (2008).
The Stream and its adjacent wetland on the east side were flagged with pink Wetland
Delineation Tape. A 50 foot buffer zone was then flagged to the east of those wetland
boundaries (see Figures 1 and 2). One of the temporary storage structures and part of
a parked vehicle trailer (5th wheel) lie within that buffer zone. The proposed home-site
lies in the western area of the property west of an existing power pole at a distance of
about 140 feet from the stream. It appears that use of the proposed home-site would be
completely outside of the flagged buffer zones and in compliance with the Jefferson
County Code.
Westech recommends that the landowner's home-site be approved in the indicated
location. We also recommend that a silt fence be placed between the home-site and
the stream and wetland. Other standard erosion control measures should be used as
necessary to protect the stream and wetland from sedimentation. Please let me know if
you have any questions regarding this Wetland/stream determination. Thank you.
Sincerely,
G. Bradford Shea, Ph.D., REA, ABl
Principal Scientist
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