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Planning commission reviews geologic hazards and groundwater concerns as part of Critical Areas Ordinance update
Summary
Commissioners and staff discussed geologically hazardous areas, groundwater and streamflow concerns, septic-linked contamination and the implementation challenges of geotechnical reporting for the county—s Critical Areas Ordinance update. Staff emphasized DNR lidar maps, CAO site-specific tools and the limits of county authority on water-quality regulation.
Thurston County planning staff used a work session to brief the Planning Commission on geologically hazardous areas and related implementation issues for the county—s Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) update, focusing on life-safety risks, ecological functions and how new mapping tools may make permitting clearer for applicants.
A county presenter said critical aquifer recharge areas cover substantial portions of the county and that most of the roughly 24,000 private wells in the county pump from those recharge zones, making the areas central to both water supply and CAO considerations. "In other words, they are crucial to our primary water supply," the presenter said, noting overlapping protections and the risk that streamflows are declining because groundwater that once fed streams has been increasingly tapped.
The presenter referenced the Tri…
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