Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Anacortes council adopts updated stormwater master plan to meet state permit requirements
Summary
After denying SEPA appeals, the council adopted the updated stormwater master plan that inventories assets, identifies capacity and habitat-restoration projects, and maps compliance steps with MPDES and the Clean Water Act; consultants noted 42 public-survey responses.
The Anacortes City Council on April 27 denied appeals of the city’s SEPA threshold determination for the stormwater master plan and adopted Resolution 3212 to approve the updated plan.
Consultant Terrell Osborne summarized the master plan as an update to the 2007 stormwater management plan that lays out the city’s strategy for complying with new Ecology (MPDES) requirements and federal Clean Water Act permits. Osborne said the plan documents stormwater assets, identifies system deficiencies through hydraulic modeling and groups capital projects into categories that protect habitat, increase conveyance capacity, or improve water quality. "The city staff has been working and are well on their way in meeting the deadlines," Osborne said.
Osborne noted the plan was informed by a public survey that returned 42 responses; top public concerns included urban-runoff impacts on water quality and the need to prioritize drainage, streams and lakes. The consultant described four ongoing or proposed stormwater programs—including outfall evaluation and pipe-repair/replacement programs—and said implementation speed will depend on funding strategy and direction from council.
Before adopting the plan, the council denied SEPA appeals filed by Ian Muntz (for a party) and William Turner after the city attorney explained the adopted standard of review and noted no substantive changes had been made in the packet. Council directed staff to prepare findings and bring a decision back on consent, then approved the plan by voice vote.
Councilmembers said the plan gives staff a roadmap for maintenance and capital investment and emphasized the need for a funding strategy to move projects from the plan to construction.
