17.125.090 Mitigation plan requirements.
(1) If alteration to a wetland or buffer is unavoidable, all adverse impacts to the wetland or buffer shall be mitigated in accordance with an approved critical area report. When mitigation is required by this chapter, it shall address restoration, rehabilitation, and compensation in accordance with SMC 17.114.180 and 17.114.190 and the following requirements:
(a) Wetland acreage shall be replaced at the following ratios when proposed on site or off site within the same subdrainage basin (“Stillaguamish floodplain”):
(i) Six to one (6:1) for category I wetlands;
(ii) Three to one (3:1) for category II wetlands;
(iii) Two to one (2:1) for category III wetlands; and
(iv) One and one-half to one (1.5:1) for category IV wetlands.
(b) The ratios in subsection (1)(a) of this section shall be doubled for off-site mitigation located outside the sub-basin (“Stillaguamish floodplain”), but within the larger mainstem Stillaguamish Basin. The ratios in subsection (1)(a) of this section shall also be doubled when mitigation proposes enhancement of an existing wetland. At a minimum a 1:1 replacement ratio shall be met first and enhancement may be utilized to meet ratio requirements beyond that.
(c) Inkind, on-site mitigation that is sufficient to achieve equivalent or greater critical area and/or buffer biologic functions and values is preferred so as to assure, to the greatest extent feasible, that the plan results in mitigation for direct impacts resulting from the alteration.
(d) Off-site mitigation will be used only in those situations where appropriate, adequate on-site mitigation is not feasible to achieve.
(2) The mitigation plan shall:
(a) Include a baseline study that analyzes the existing functional values of the wetlands and buffer, functional values that will be lost, and the system’s functional values after mitigation;
(b) Specify how lost functional values will be replaced;
(c) Specify when mitigation will occur relative to project construction and to the requirements of permits required by other jurisdictions;
(d) Address the need for and, when appropriate, determine the width of the buffer adjacent to any altered wetland edge; and
(e) In commercial or other public projects, provide interpretative signage at the rate of one per every five acres or portion thereof. The contents and design of the signage shall be approved by the planning director prior to installation. (Ord. 1164 § 4, 2004; Ord. 1110 § 3, 2002; Ord. 929 Ch. 10(G)(7), 1995. Formerly 17.125.070).