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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWetland Exemption Req 601181007WE5`TECH COMPANY Environmental Consulting - Site Permitting January 21, 2019 David W. Johnson Jefferson County Department of Community Development 621 Sheridan Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 Dear Mr. Johnson: .JEFFERSON COUNTY DCD Thank you for the time extension on Mr. Wong's Project on Old Point Whitney Road. We conducted an updated look at the property on Monday, January 14, 2019. We also reviewed the map and rating from the Wetland Delineation (see attached Figure 6). The Wetland was rated as a Category IV Wetland with scores of 4 for Water Quality, 3 for Hydrology and 6 for Habitat, for a combined score of 13. Under Jefferson County Code, the standard buffer for a Category IV Wetland with Moderate Intensity Land Use would be a 40 foot buffer, which we specified in the Wetland Delineation Report (Westech, October 2018). Once NTI Surveying and Engineering completed their Site map, we requested that they assist us with determining the size of the on-site Category IV Wetland. NIT found the size to be 2,850 square feet (including a 600 square foot area on the adjacent property to the north), based on our field mapping and GPS coordinates. Jefferson County Code Section 18.22.300 specifies that Category IV Wetlands less than one-tenth of an acre (4,356 square feet) shall be exempt from the (buffer) requirements of the article provided that certain criteria are met: a) The wetland does not provide stable seasonal inundation and presence of thin -stemmed emergent vegetation. b) The wetland does not have unique characteristics c) The wetland is not located in a FWHCA area d) The wetland is not in a floodplain e) The wetland is not associated with a Shoreline of the state f) The wetland is not part of a mosaic of wetlands P.O. Box 2876, Port Angeles, Washington 98362 - Telephone: (360) 565-9333 email: brad@westechcompany.com David W. Johnson January 21, 2019 Page Two In this case, our observations indicate the following: the wetland dries up during summer months and does not provide stable seasonal inundation. The vegetation is primarily forested and shrub -scrub, not emergent. The wetland is not in a FWHCA and not in a floodplain. It is nearly 400 feet from the shoreline and thus lies outside of the Shoreline Zone. It is not part of a wetland mosaic. The wetland size is considerably less than the required 4,356 square feet. Therefore, we believe that the wetland should be exempted from buffer requirements as per JCC 18.22.300. This will allow room for the applicant, Mr. Wong to realign his driveway on the Site without impinging on a required wetland buffer. If you approve this exemption, we would appreciate receiving documentation for that by letter or email. Thank you. Sincerely, r G. Bradford Shea, Ph.D., REPA, ABI Senior Environmental Scientist/Ecologist GBS/mas' Attachment P.O. Box 2876, Port Angeles, Washington 98362 - Telephone: (360) 565-1333 email, brad@westechcompany.com m 4-1 David W. Johnson From: brad@westechcompany.com Sent: Monday, January 21, 2019 9:54 AM To: David W. Johnson Cc: lui wong; stephen@nti4u.com Subject: Wetland Buffer Exemption Attachments: WW15780ldPtWhitneyWDBufExemp012119.pdf Hello David, I attach our letter report requesting a Buffer Exemption under Section 18.22.300 of the Jefferson County Code for Mr. Lui Wong's proposed residential project on Old Whitney Point Road near Brinnon. This exemption is necessary for the access driveway to the Project, due to the narrow shape of the parcel. Thank you for your review of this information. Please let me know if you have any questions. Brad G. Bradford Shea, PhD, REPA, ABI Senior Environmental Scientist Westech Company (360) 565-1333 brad@westechcoinpan