Protecting Nearshore Habitat and Functions in Puget Sound:
An Interim Guide
October 2007
PDF Format - [2.51MB]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Washington State Department of Ecology and the Puget Sound Action Team (now the Puget Sound Partnership) provided funding for the production of this document.

Protecting Nearshore Habitat and Functions in Puget Sound: An Interim Guide
October 2007

This guidance has been developed as a companion to the Department of Ecology’s SMA Guidelines and critical areas protection guidance offered by the Community, Trade, and Economic Development Department. This guidance provides a synthesis of current science on several important nearshore habitats and processes, and directions for where to find data and specific recommendations for moving through the mitigation sequence; from avoidance of new activities and reducing impacts from approved activities, to mitigating for cumulative impacts. In addition to helping local planners prepare SMP updates, this document will also assist Ecology in their review to ensure that SMP updates are based on good science.

WHY PROVIDE THIS GUIDANCE?

Increasing human population growth combined with the desirability and high value of shoreline properties, means that shoreline modifications will continue to occur in the Puget Sound area. “Shoreline modification” is a broadly used term covering a variety of structures and activities intended to adapt the shoreline environment for human use. These activities can range from installing stairways across bluff faces, to building docks and bulkheads, to dredging. Shoreline modification has been accelerating significantly in recent decades in response to population growth and development of the shoreline for commercial, industrial, residential, and recreational uses. These activities have contributed to wide scale degradation and loss of important habitat in the nearshore environment. The remaining habitat is becoming increasingly fragmented and degraded by ongoing activities.

The Shoreline Management Act (SMA) provides the framework for protection of the nearshore. Adopted in 1971 from a citizen’s initiative, the Act’s purpose is to protect the state’s shorelines from uncoordinated and piecemeal development. This is accomplished through locally prepared and administered Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs). SMPs are currently being updated statewide consistent with new guidelines (WAC 173-26, Part III). The SMP update process requires local governments to evaluate existing nearshore conditions and establish policies and regulations that will protect nearshore ecological functions. During this update process, local planners and officials have the opportunity to determine where, and under what conditions, certain shoreline uses and activities should be permitted or prohibited. In this way, inappropriate modification activities can be prohibited, thereby avoiding future impacts altogether. In those circumstances where modification activities are allowed, local governments have the authority to ensure that policies, regulations and specific standards of local master programs are being met. Shoreline protection is also integrated into many local critical areas ordinances under the Growth Management Act (GMA).

This guidance has been developed as a companion to the Department of Ecology’s SMA Guidelines and critical areas protection guidance offered by the Community, Trade, and Economic Development Department. This guidance provides a synthesis of current science on several important nearshore habitats and processes, and directions for where to find data and specific recommendations for moving through the mitigation sequence; from avoidance of new activities and reducing impacts from approved activities, to mitigating for cumulative impacts. In addition to helping local planners prepare SMP updates, this document will also assist Ecology in their review to ensure that SMP updates are based on good science.

The intent of this guidance is to:

• Provide the information in the form of user-friendly text and graphics with reliance on tools such as flow charts and tables rather than extensive narrative.
• Provide recommendations in a form that lays out a decision sequence that begins with avoiding impacts from these activities and moves through mitigating for cumulative impacts.
• Provide useful approaches to protecting nearshore habitat that are supported by the prevailing science.
• Provide basic information on key nearshore habitats and how they are impacted by shoreline modifications, in summary form.

WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF THIS GUIDANCE?

This Introduction (section I) includes a description of the relationship of this guidance to SMA and GMA requirements, and a definition of the importance of the Puget Sound nearshore zone. Section II, provides a brief description of some key nearshore habitats in Puget Sound that are often affected by shoreline modifications. These “science briefs” were summarized from recent scientific papers, and provide a framework to put the importance of nearshore habitats into perspective. The goal is to provide planners and regulators with condensed information that shows how shoreline modification can affect Puget Sound nearshore habitat and nearshore ecological functions. The science briefs include:

• Beaches and Bluffs
• Forage Fish Habitat
• Kelp and Eelgrass Habitat
• Marine Riparian Vegetation
• Juvenile Salmon Habitat

Section III, contains recommendations associated with reviewing and permitting three common shoreline modifications. For each activity, an overview of impacts is provided along with recommendations for reducing the level of impact through planning and site specific designs. In this section, narrative and descriptive text were minimized in favor of flow charts, tables, and matrices that would serve as an easy-to-use reference for planners and decision-makers. The following shoreline modifications are addressed:

• Overwater Structures
• Shoreline Armoring
• Riparian Vegetation Alteration

Throughout the document links to websites with supporting or more detailed information have been included. Scientific citations have been minimized within the text but are included as footnotes to tables and references.

WHY IS THE SCOPE LIMITED?

Most local governments are, or will soon be, undertaking ordinance and comprehensive plan amendments and revising their SMPs to meet GMA and SMA requirements. In addition, scientific white papers, draft management recommendations and other science products related to the nearshore environment have recently been released. There was a need to compile this information and provide a portal to access more detailed information in a timely manner.

The recently released white papers (available at: http://www.pugetsoundnearshore.org/technical_reports.htm) and other documents cover much more than the 5 habitat and 3 shoreline modification types addressed in this guidance. The scope of this guidance was limited to these topics because they represent some of the most common habitat concerns and frequently permitted activities in Puget Sound. Additional topics may be integrated into later versions of this guidance or supplemental documents may be developed to address other topics and particular areas of concern.

WHY PROVIDE “INTERIM” GUIDANCE?

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), along with other state agencies and others in the scientific community have been developing “best available science (BAS)” for the nearshore environment. This “BAS” for a variety of topics has been synthesized in recently released white papers. This guidance reflects the findings of these papers but is considered “interim” in recognition that science will evolve rapidly especially with the Governor’s attention focused on the health of the Puget Sound. Meanwhile, Interim guidance is needed to for many efforts, underway or anticipated, that require local governments to update SMPs and local codes. Although BAS has been used to develop this guidance, full details regarding the science have not been included here. Instead, links to supporting information and citations are provided for those needing more detailed information.

WHO SHOULD USE THIS GUIDANCE?

This guidance was written to assist local planners involved with development of regulations to meet requirements of the GMA and SMA. In recent years many reports have addressed habitat loss and impacts from shoreline modifications. However, it is unrealistic to expect planners and decision-makers to review all of these technical documents. A reference document was needed that contained summary information of the ecological functions of the nearshore, as well as one that provided tools recommendations to inform nearshore management decisions.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDANCE?

Local planners developing SMP’s should review the appropriate scientific brief (Section II) for the habitats of interest. This review may assist planners with identifying where more shoreline inventory information is needed. In addition, the review may help planners better identify critical nearshore habitat and make more informed decisions about applying appropriate shoreline environment designations and activity standards. The recommendations section (Section III) can be used to develop policies for inclusion in revised SMP’s and to guide decisions on specific permit requests.