STATE OF WASHINGTON 



DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY 



Mail Stop PV-n • Olympia. Washington 98504-8711 • (206)459-6000 

 October 24, 1990 



Washington State City and County Planning Directors 

 RE: Ecology's Model Ordinance for Wetland Protection 



The purpose of this letter is to clarify the intent and purpose of 

 Ecology's model ordinance for wetland protection that was distributed 

 earlier this month. 



The model ordinance, which we developed pursuant to Governor Gardner's 

 Executive Order 90-04, is a voluntary technical assistance recomniendation . 

 The standards and policies contained within the ordinance represent a 

 careful compilation of the best sections of existing local ordinances 

 that protect wetlands and the expertise of Ecology staff and others. We 

 believe that the model is a tool that local government may elect to use in 

 order to achieve no net loss of wetlands within their jurisdiction. The 

 Department of Ecology has no authority to require that local government 

 adopt the model ordinance or any of its policies and standards. 



Most of you are aware that Ecology has established a Wetland Protection 

 Grant Program and many of you have requested grant funds in order to 

 implement wetland protection regulations. We fully anticipate that local 

 governments choosing to adopt this ordinance under the grant program will 

 choose to modify the document as a result of public comment and the need 

 to tailor it to fit the particular characteristics of each community. We 

 do anticipate that these grant- funded local programs will generally 

 reflect the intent of Ecology's model ordinance to achieve a goal of 

 no net loss of wetland functions and values. 



Finally, this ordinance is not a static document. We expect to revise the 

 model ordinance to incorporate the knowledge gained by local governments 

 as you implement wetland protection programs during this grant process and 

 new technical information regarding wetlands as it becomes available. 



Please call me at (206) A59-6777 or SCAN 585-6777 or Wendy El£ot of my 

 staff at (206) A93-2681 or SCAN 585-2681 if you have any questions 

 regarding this letter or the model ordinance. 



Sincerely, 



M^^-Jn- 



%) 



D. Rodney Mack, Manager 

 Shorelands and Coastal Zone 

 Management Program 

 DRM:la 



cc: Wendy Eliot 



