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Home My WebLink AboutLog062 # Wetland Delineation Report Chevy Chase Golf Course Residential Development Jefferson County, Washington RECEIVED NOV 2 3 2005 . JEFFERSUN CUUNTY uea Prepared for: Chevy Chase Golf Course c/o Jim Forbes 14150 Northeast 20th Street, #116 Bellevue, Washington 98007 Prepared by: The Watershed Company 1410 Market Street P.O. Box 1180 Kirkland, Washington 98033-0918 June 4, 1996 LOG ITEM # Co?- , Page~_-L.otL . Introduction The Chevy Chase Golf Course Property is a 180 acre parcel located within unincorporated Jefferson County, Township 3ON, Range 1W, Sections 29, 30, and 31. Portions of the property which have been designated for residential development were screened for wetlands. Wetlands were delineated along a large pond/stream complex at the north end of the property, and the western part of the property was screened. Methods Wetlands were delineated according to the three parameter methodology outlined in the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (Department of the Army, 1987) and the 1989 Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional'Wetlands (Federal Interagency Committee for Wetland Delineation, 1989). Soil, hydrology, and vegetation were investigated, and areas meeting the criteria for each parameter were designated as wetland. Soil and hydrology were investigated using hand dug test pits; soil color was determined using the Munsell Soil Color Chart (Munsell Soil, 1992). In order for soil to be considered hydric, it must generally have a chroma of one, if unmottled, or of one or two if mottled. Direct observations and indications of wetland hydrology were observed and recorded. Wetland hydrology is considered present if soils are inundated or saturated to the surface for at least one week during the growing season. Vegetation is considered hydrophytic if at least 50% of dominant species have a wetland indicator status of facultative (F AC), facultative wetland (FACW), or obligate (OBL), as listed in the National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands (Reed, 1993 and 1988). Field work was conducted during early February, 1996. Portions of the site investigated include the western area, in which residential development is proposed, and the pond/stream complex in the northern part of the site. Please see the attached map for the limits of the investigation. Results The property comprises a valley bottom area, to the east, along with hillsides to the west. Most of the valley bottom area has been developed as golf course, while the hillsides have been used for forestry. Current proposals include golf course expansion and residential development in the hillside area, as well as residential development to the east of the pond/ stream complex. No wetlands were observed in the western, hillside part of the site. In the northern area, wetlands .along the two ponds and stream were field-flagged and designated as Wetland A. Western Area The western part of the site is made up of forested slopes, with a mosaic of stands of different ages. In the more mature stands, the dominant species are Douglas-fir and western red cedar in the overstory, Pacific rhododendron, ocean spray, Evergreen huckleberry, and pink honeysuckle in the understory, and salal and Oregon grape in the groundcover layer. Younger stands are made up of an overstory of Douglas-fir, madrona, and Hooker's willow, LOG ITEM # 1:-.2- PaQ'3._LotL , an understory of ocean spray, gooseberry, and western red cedar, and groundcover including salal and Oregon grape. Throughout the hillside area, plant communities are dominated by upland species, and no communities were found that meet the criteria for hydrophytic vegetation. The soils vary little in the hillside area. Most soil pits revealed light olive brown silt loam (2.5 Y 5/3) with mottles. This soil color does not meet the criteria for hydric soil. Field work was conducted after an extended period of rain, and soil was damp throughout the area. Some ponded water was also observed in roads and areas where heavy machinery had been used. However, the ponding appeared to have been caused by the recent soil compaction and these areas did not exhibit other wetland characteristics. Thus, no portion of the western part of the site meets the criteria to be considered wetland. Northern Area In the valley bottom area, wetlands were delineated along the stream and pond system, and the area to the east of the stream was screened for wetlands. Wetland A is a large system which includes riparian wetlands as well as two apparently man-made instream ponds. No wetlands were observed to the east of this area. Wdland A Wetland A consists of wetlands associated with a stream that enters the north end of the site and exits the site on the eastern boundary just north of the developed goH course. Instream ponds are present just within the property boundaries, at either end of the on-site portion of the stream, and riparian wetlands are present along the length of stream between the ponds. The pond at the north end of the property (Pond #1) about 100 feet long and 40 feet wide. The, pond contains a large amount of open water, along with a high density of woody debris. The edges of the pond are forested with red alder and willow, with an understory of western crabapple, gooseberry, snowbeny, and hedge nettle; emergent plants include bur-reed, bulrushes, sedges, water parsley, monkey flower, and cattails. Because of the abundance of open water and habitat features as well as the diverse vegetation, this area provides excellent habitat for amphibians, songbirds, woodpeckers, raptors, mammals, as well as waterfowl. Downstream of the pond, the stream flows through a shallow ravine, dominated in upland areas by western red cedar and Douglas-fir, with bigleaf maple, western hemlock, and willow also present; the understory consists of salmonberry, ocean spray, and red huckleberry, with sword-fern and Oregon grape as groundcover. In the riparian wetlands, dominant species include an overstory of red alder, an understory of gooseberry, salmonberry, and red-osier dogwood, with piggyback, water parsley, and skunk cabbage as groundcover. This portion of the stream provides good habitat for mammals, amphibians, and songbirds, with its abundance of food, cover, and water. '. Just north of the existing goH course, the stream. enters a second instream pond (Pond #2). little open water is present in this area, apparently due to a failure in the dike downstream of the pond. The pond is vegetated by a monotypic stand of cattails, in addition to some brooklime, watercress, and horsetail. The wetland extends about 15 feet beyond the cattails, .. LOG ITEM :- ~2- j ag'l....c ~ _otL , with species including red alder, osoberry, lady-fern, salmonberry, and stinging nettle. Because of the lack of diversity in this pond/wetland, the habitat values are not as high as those in Pond #1. Soil within the wetland is dark gray (10 YR 4/1 and 2.5 Y 4/1), with mottles, whereas soil outside the wetland is light olive brown (2.5 Y 5/3) without mottles. Soil throughout the wetland was saturated or inundated at the time of observation. The pond/wetland complex was rated as Category 2 according to the Department of Ecology's Washington State Wetlands Rating System, which has been adopted by Jefferson County. Upland Areas . The area to the east of Wetland. A includes both mature forest and more recently disturbed upland. The mature forest lies along the wetland and its buffer, and consists of Douglas-fir, madrone, western hemlock, ocean spray, salmonberry, buffaloberry, salal, Oregon grape, and sword fern. East of the mature forest, patches of young Douglas-fir are interspersed with meadow areas of grasses and bracken fern. Summary Portions of the Chevy Chase property which have been slated for residential development were screened for wetland. No wetlands were observed in the western portion of the property. In the northern portion, wetlands associated with a stream and two instream ponds were delineated. These wetland areas have high value for water quality and wildlife, particularly in the northern portion. The Jefferson County Critical Areas Ordinance sets forth buffer requirements for wetlands. According to the ordinance, a buffer of 100 feet of native vegetation is required for this type of wetland. LOG iTEM # Co? _ Pag9._..LotL TABLE I: Plant Species Observed Common name Abbreviation Scientific name Indicator status OVERSTORY /TREES bigleaf maple AM Acer macrophyllum FACU red alder AR Alnus rubra FAC madrone AZ Arbutus menziesii NL English holly IA Rex aquifolium NL black cottonwood PB Populus balsamifera FAC Lombardy poplar PO Populus deltoides NL sweet cherry PV Prunus avium NL Douglas-fir PZ Pseudotsuga menziesii NL cascara RP Rhamnus purshiana FAC- Hooker's willow SX Salix hookeriana FACW- Pacific willow SS Salix lasiandra FACW+ western red. cedar TP Thuja plicata FAC western hemlock TH Tsuga heterophylla FACU- SHRUBS/VINES: vinemap1e . AC Acer circinatum FACU- hairy manzanita AY Arctostaphylos columbiana NL Oregon grape BN Berberis nervosa NL red-osier dogwood CS Cornus stolonifera FACW Scot's broom CY Cytisus scoparius NL salal GS Gaultheria shallon NL oceanspray HO Holodiscus discolor NL hairy honeysuckle LH Lonicera hispidula NL twinberry 11 Lonicerainvolucrata FAC+ Osoberry OC Oemleria cerasiformis NL devil's club OR Oplopanax horridum FAC+ western crabapple PF Pyrus fusca FAC+ Pacific rhododendron RM Rhododendron macrophyllum NL swamp gooseberry RA Ribes 1acustre FAC+ nootka rose RX Rosa nutkana FAC Himalayan blackberry RD Rubus discolor FACU salmonberry RS Rubus spectabilis FAC+ Pacific dewberry RU Rubus ursinus FACU red elderbeny SR Sambucus racemosa FACU buffaloberry SC Shepherdia canadensis NI spirea SO Spiraea douglasii FACW snowberry SW Symphoricarpos albus FACU evergreen huckleberry VO Vaccinium ovatum NL red hucklebeny VP Vaccinium paroifolium NL GROUNDCOVER lady fem AF Athyrium filix-femina FAC slough sedge CO Carex obnupta OBL Dewey's sedge CW Carex deweyana FACU field chickweed CT Cerastiumarvense FACU Canada thistle CA Cirsium arvense FACU+ LOG ITEM # 02- Pagg ---S::.- Of_L 1 miner's lettuce orchard grass common foxglove field horsetail giant horsetail catchweed bedstraw rattlesnake plantain cat's ear soft rush duckweed skunk cabbage monkey flower water parsley reed canarygrass English plantain licorice (ern sword fern bracken fern creeping buttercup watercress small-fruited bulrush narrow-leaf burreed Cooley's hedge nettle piggyback plant cattail stinging nettle American brooklime vetch CP DG DP EQ EL GA GO HR JE LM LA MG OS PA PL PG PN BX RR RT SB SE S2 1M TL UD VA VS Claytonia sibirica Dactylis glomerata Digitalis purpurea Equisetum arvense Equistum laevigatum Galium aparine Goodyera oblongi/olia Hypocharis radicata Juncus effusus Lemna minor Lysichitum americanum Mimulus guttatus Oenanthe sarmentosa Phalaris arundinaceJl Plantago lanceolata Polypody glycyrrhiza Polystichum munitum Pteridium aquilinum Ranunculus repens Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum Scirpus microcarpus Sparganium emersum Stachys cooleyae Tolmiea menziesii Typha lati/olia Urtica dioica Veronica americanIl Vicia spp FAC FACU FACU FAC FACW FACU FACU- FACU FACW OBL OBL OBL OBL FACW FAC FACU FACU FACU FACW OBL OBL OBL FACW FAC OBL FAC+ OBL FAC+ OBL Obligate wetland plants-occur almost always (>99%) in wetlands under normal conditions. FACW Facultative wetland plants-usually occur in wetlands (67-99%), but occasionally in nonwetlands (1-33%). FAC Facultative plants-are equally likely to occur in wetlands or nonwetlands (34-66%). FACU Facultative upland plants-usually occur in nonwetIands (67-99%), but occasionally in wetIands(l-33%). UPL Obligate upland plants-almost always occur (>99%) in nonwetlands (i.e. in uplands). NI No information is listed for the indicator status of these species in Reed (1988 and 1993). NL These species have not been listed in Reed (1988 and 1993). LOG ITEM # C:>?-- 2 Page ~!iLot.::t- '" .... .... .... \0 00 ~ 0\ CJ1 ~ (J.) t-.J .... ~~ t-.J .... 0 ~ .... - ....... > rs rs Fl Fl ~ p; 1J e- (') ~ tr.I II ~ ~ .. .. ::I- ~ .?< () p. rs U'J Ed ~ Ed ~ ~ ~ ~ > <: ~ a .?< .to ~ - ~ .. - m ~ ~ ~ ~ c;") ~ ~ ~ QQ ~ ~ ii1 .. fit S m {I) m {I) c;") c;") ~ ~ ~ ~ tD .... ~ U'J ~ {I) "'d .. .... ~ ~ c;") ~ .... - ~ z ~ 0 Q ~ ~ ::r. 0 Ii ~ ~ z z z z z z >< z z >< z >< .... 6- ~ .... 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