Measure introduced to enhance salmon recovery

As an early effort to restore the chinook salmon, King County Executive Ron Sims introduced revisions to the County's sensitive area code to protect hazardous and environmentally sensitive portions of property from building and land use activities.

The Sensitive Areas Ordinance has been in use for several years. However Sims said, this new ordinance makes the code easier to understand and makes mitigation standards and procedures much more consistent and predictable. In addition, it ensures that public agencies are held to the same protection standards as private developers and that sensitive and hazardous areas are protected according to the same standards in urban as well as rural communities. It also allows for better identification, mapping and tracking of sensitive and hazardous areas within King County, Sims said.

"These improvements are of particular benefit to smaller builders and developers who have, in the past, experienced difficulty in accommodating the County's sensitive areas code," Sims added.

This ordinance will establish a solid foundation in King County Code for future environmental initiatives. The National Marine Fisheries Service has urged King County to adopt these revisions as part of the County's early actions to protect chinook habitat. King County expects to use this foundation in the coming year to respond to the Endangered Species Act listing.

The Sensitive Areas Ordinance is the result of one of the largest stakeholder processes King County has ever undertaken. The end product reflects input and recommendations from more than two years of public, special interest groups and science-based review.

For additional information, please contact Paula Adams, DDES Communications Director, at (206) 296-6682.

Link to:

• Department of Development and Environmental Services
• Executive's Endangered Species Act web site

Updated: July 7, 1999