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Class I streams include any natural freshwater body of water 

 (including lakes and ponds) containing anadromous fish or eggs or 

 high value resident sport fish or with habitat having reasonable 

 enhancement opportunities for anadromous fish. 



Class II includes streams, tributaries, and ponds with 

 resident fish of limited sport value generally occurring in steep 

 gradients or upstream of migration barriers. 



Class III streams are tributaries which do not have fish 

 populations but have potential water quality influence on 

 downstream habitat. 



Class II streams are of great importance because they maintain 

 water quality and supply LWD for downstream habitat in Class I 

 streams. Class III streams which can significantly influence 

 water quality on downstream Class I and II streams because of 

 their size, or have high risk for side-slope and/or streambank 

 failure, may require the protection of a full buffer zone. 



We do not intend the Policy to apply to Class III tributaries 

 which are either ephemeral (seasonal) or intermittent or have a 

 gradient generally greater than 8 percent. In other words, the 

 Policy does not apply to high gradient tributaries or storm 

 drainages which do not have salmonids or do not have continuous 

 flow. Also, it is not necessary to require buffer zones on Class 

 II and III streams which do not flow into a Class I stream 

 because they do not provide habitat for anadromous fish. These 

 streams only require harvest according to best management 

 practices to maintain water quality standards. The high gradient 

 and storm channels which comprise the majority of Class III 

 streams account for the greatest amount of acreage in a 

 watershed. 



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