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Commission reviews revised wetland and riparian protections and new mitigation options
Summary
The draft CAO adds vernal pools to wetland classifications, expands mitigation options (including preservation), and offers alternative riparian-width methods tied to site-potential tree height; commissioners sought clarity on how those standards apply to local dry-land ecosystems.
Staff told commissioners that the wetland section now includes vernal pools among wetland classifications and adds "preservation" as an explicit compensatory mitigation method in the mitigation-ratio table. The draft also adds a standard for "functionally disconnected buffers," which allows limited development across a buffer that has been bisected by a road or existing development when mitigation is otherwise acceptable.
For riparian habitat areas, staff explained the draft reduces standard widths for fish-bearing streams from 200 to 180 feet, establishes a 100-foot minimum for water-quality function, and offers an alternate method using site-potential tree height (from WDFW data) to set on-site buffer widths where vegetation and soils support taller native trees. Commissioners emphasized Palouse-area ecosystem variability, noting that many local streams lack dense riparian vegetation and that implementation guidance will be needed.
