HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources March 13 20181
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Natural Resources Committee
March 13, 2018
CALL TO ORDER
Committee Chair Todd Donovan called the meeting to order at 1:37 p.m. in the
Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington,
ROLL CALL
Present: Tim Ballew, Todd Donovan
Absent: Satpal Sidhu
Also Present: Barbara Brenner, Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, and Rud Browne
(participating via teleconference)
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Jack Louws, County Executive, announced his appointment of Mark Personius to the
position of Planning and Development Services Department Director.
1. BRIEFING BY PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STAFF OF MINERAL
RESOURCE LANDS COUNTY -WIDE DESIGNATION PROCESS (AB2018 -090)
Joshua Fleischman, Planning and Development Services Department, submitted and
read from a presentation (on file).
Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department Director, answered
questions.
Councilmembers and staff discussed how someone applies for a mineral resource
land (MRL) designation, the North Star and the countywide designation being the two items
on the docket, creating an efficient way to go about an approval process while keeping it
site specific, an option to allow sustainable and responsible mining of gravel from upland
river washes, restrictions on agricultural lands, mining that is subject to the State Surface
Mining Act, the three options for designating MRLs, and the approval timeline.
Ba//ew moved to go forward with the option for designating potential resource
areas (PRAs) with exclusions, which is option two, as long as there are proposals for
sustainable operations that could be included with the exclusions.
Councilmembers and staff discussed the types of exclusions they would consider,
returning to committee with a list of the obvious exclusions, and getting a definition of
nuisance.
Donovan suggested a friendly amendment to remove the obvious exclusions and
come back to the committee with exclusions to be discussed.
Ba / /ew accepted the friendly amendment.
Natural Resources Committee, 3/13/2018, Page 1
1 Councilmembers discussed potential exclusions.
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3 Ballew withdrew his motion.
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5 2. PUBLIC WORKS STAFF TO PROVIDE A BRIEF PRESENTATION ABOUT
6 POLLUTION IDENTIFICATION AND CORRECTION PROGRAM WORK IN THE
7 JORDAN CREEK LUMMI BAY WATERSHED (AB2018 -091)
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9 Erika Douglas, Public Works Department, submitted and read from handouts and a
10 presentation (on file). They upgraded Drayton Harbor in 2016 and Birch Bay this year.
11 Portage Bay and Lummi Bay need long -term stewardship or they will be downgraded. She
12 described the increasing problems at Jordan Creek and the Pollution Identification and
13 Correction (PIC) Program steps for making improvements. The PIC Program in the Jordan
14 Creek watershed should prevent a downgrade. Right now, they need community outreach
15 for the PIC Program from the Council.
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17 John Wolpers, Health Department, answered questions about coordination with the
18 the onsite sewage operations and maintenance program from the Health Department.
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20 Douglas answered questions on the data trends from the Lummi Nation regarding
21 Jordan Creek's bacteria levels, the timeline for community engagement to prevent
22 continued water quality deterioration, and the efforts to upgrade the tidelands at Portage
23 Bay.
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25 3. PUBLIC WORKS STAFF TO PRESENT THE 2017 PUBLIC WORKS NATURAL
26 RESOURCES ANNUAL REPORT (AB2018 -092)
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28 Gary Stoyka, Public Works Department, submitted a presentation (on file) and
29 introduced the annual report (on file).
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31 Laurel Baldwin, Public Works Department, continued the presentation on noxious
32 weeds, mapping different weed species, actions to clean up knotweed, community outreach,
33 partnerships with other agencies, and the aquatic invasive species program. She answered
34 questions about including wild clematis on the weed list.
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36 Bob Cecile, Marine Resources Committee (MRC), continued the presentation on the
37 MRC. He submitted and read from a handout (on file).
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39 Eleanor Hines, Marine Resources Committee, continued the presentation.
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41 Ingrid Enschede, Public Works Department, continued the presentation on the Lake
42 Whatcom Homeowner Incentive Program (HIP) and answered questions.
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44 John Thompson, Public Works Department, continued and concluded the
45 presentation on salmon recovery and technical assistance.
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47
48 OTHER BUSINESS
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50 There was no other business.
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Natural Resources Committee, 3/13/2018, Page 2
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ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 3:21 p.m.
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Dana Brown- Davis, Council Cork
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WH COM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Todd Donovan, Committee Chair
Natural Resources Committee, 3/13/2018, Page 3