The Daily World
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is inviting public comment on proposed rule amendments to implement legislation that establishes new standards for replacing residential marine shoreline stabilization, according to a press release.
The legislation went into effect in July 2021. Washington law requires people planning hydraulic projects in or near state waters to get a Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) from WDFW. The approval is intended to protect fish from construction and other work that uses, diverts, obstructs, or changes the natural flow or bed of state waters.
This legislation adds new requirements for certain HPA permit applications, including that a project must use the least impacting alternative available to protect fish and their habitat. Applicants who want to replace residential marine shoreline stabilization must conduct a site assessment and alternatives analysis as part of the application. This rulemaking now underway will incorporate the new requirement into the Hydraulic Code Rules.
More information is available on the Shoreline Stabilization HPA Rule webpage.
Members of the public are invited to comment on the proposed changes by submitting written comments at publicinput.com/ShorelineStabilizationRule. WDFW will accept comments through Oct. 31. Prior to public comment this fall, WDFW also coordinated with tribal governments to get feedback on the proposal.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission will also accept public comments on the proposed changes during a public hearing scheduled during its Oct. 27-29 Commission meeting. More information will be posted to the Commission webpage as it becomes available.
Concurrently, the proposed rule changes are going through a state environmental review process, referred to as State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
Members of the public can comment as part of the SEPA review on WDFW’s website, by email, or by mail to Lisa Wood, SEPA/NEPA Coordinator, WDFW Habitat Program, Protection Division, P.O. Box 43200, Olympia, WA 98504.
