News Release
| Release Number: | 07-038 |
| Dated: | 4/3/2007 |
| Contact: | Diana J. Fredlund, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington Department of Ecology are considering a proposal to establish a wetland mitigation bank on six parcels of land in Clark County, Wash.
The two agencies will hold a joint public workshop April 17 in Vancouver, Wash., so members of the community may ask questions about the proposed action. The workshop will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Clark County Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., 6th Floor Hearing Room, in Vancouver. For more information about the workshop, contact Wendy Bolender at (360) 407-6349.
The bank sponsors, Clark County Mitigation Partners, proposed the mitigation bank sites as a means to meet the requirements for compensatory wetland mitigation for future and as-yet unknown wetland losses, which may be permitted under the authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and other state and federal provisions.
The proposed sites include:
• Vancouver Lake Bank site 160 acres within the Columbia River floodplain
• Steigerwald Lake Bank site 160 acres bordering the Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge
• Ridgefield Bank site About 500 acres north of Lancaster Lake and Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
• Mill Creek Tributary Bank site About 29 acres located in the northern portion of the Salmon Creek watershed
• City of Battle Ground Bank site 60 acres located within the City of Battle Ground’s Urban Growth Area
• Fargher Lake Bank site About 110 acres in northern Clark County east of the City of La Center
The proposed service areas for which the mitigation bank will generate credits include the Columbia River Floodplain, Terrace, and Lewis Rain Dominated areas. These banks are considered another way of protecting wetlands, since they typically consolidate many small wetland projects into larger, potentially more effective wetlands.
Written comments must be received by May 1, 2007, and should be addressed to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENWP-OP-G (Corrie Veenstra), P.O. Box 2946, Portland OR, 97208-2946, or Washington State Department of Ecology, Attn: Gretchen Lux, P.O. Box 47775, Olympia, WA 98504-7775.
The Corps and the Washington Department of Ecology have assembled a Mitigation Bank Review Team, comprised of representatives of federal, state, and local agencies and other interested parties. The team will meet periodically to assist in developing the Mitigation Bank Instrument and Memorandum of Agreement for the proposed bank.
The public notice about the proposed mitigation bank is posted on the Corps’ website at https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g. To learn more about wetland mitigation banking, visit Ecology’s website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/wetlands/mitigation/banking/