SUMMARY
King County Wetland Mitigation Banking Program
Mitigation banks are a form of regional
compensatory mitigation, with the goal of providing greater resource
protection and benefit to the public. Mitigation banking promotes
the restoration of large wetlands to provide off-site compensation
for multiple small mitigation projects, resulting in economies
of scale in planning, implementation and management. Consolidation
can result in wetlands of greater value because of their size
and the commitment to long- term management. Mitigation banking
can also result in wetlands of greater ecological value by reducing
the effects of habitat fragmentation and through the restoration
of historic wetland diversity and distribution within a watershed.
A mitigation bank site is a property purchased
and developed by a public agency or utility to earn credits to
compensate for adverse impacts to wetlands due to development
activities of other agencies, utilities or, in specific instances,
private sector developers. Credits are generated through the
restoration, creation, and/or enhancement of wetlands.
King County's administrative
rules on wetland mitigation banking were adopted in January
of 1999. For an overview, please
read the Executive Summary of wetland
mitigation banking rules.
For more information, please contact Jennifer
Thomas, Project Manager, at (206) 296-8067 or jennifer.thomas@kingcounty.gov
|
