Regional Road Maintenance - Endangered Species Act Program Guidelines - Biological Review

The purpose of this Biological Review (BR) is to determine if adoption of the Regional Road Maintenance ESA Program (Regional Program) will appropriately conserve salmonid species listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Such a finding would enable the local governments within Washington state, as well as the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), to obtain a "take limit" from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Obtaining a take limit would allow agencies to continue road maintenance operations, conserve aquatic species, and avoid being subject to the 4(d) rule's prohibition on take.

Species under NMFS' administration that are candidates for listing under the ESA, as well as species listed as threatened under the jurisdiction of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), have been included in this BR to allow for future consideration for take limits (NMFS), and/or reductions or eliminations of the prohibition on take of threatened species (USFWS).

Biological Review

Appendix A
Baseline habitat data is currently being compiled for salmonids in Washington. The Washington State Conservation Commission,

in consultation with local government and treaty tribes, is developing limiting factors reports on habitat conditions in Water Resource Inventory Areas (WRIAs) throughout the state. The intent of these Habitat Limiting Factors reports is to help local organizations collect data and identify gaps in existing information on factors affecting natural salmonid production. The reports may be considered the environmental baseline for salmonid habitat in Washington.

The Habitat Limiting Factors reports provide environmental baseline information that can, and should, be used to develop salmonid habitat protection and restoration strategies. The Regional Program supports these strategies by developing BMPs that avoid and minimize impacts to aquatic habitats due to routine road maintenance activities.

Due to the size of Appendix A, it is not available on the Web site. If you would like a copy of Appendix A, please contact Janine.Johanson@metrokc.gov for more information. You may also contact the Washington State Conservation Commission

Web site for information on how to obtain entire copies of the Habitat Limiting Factors Reports.

Table 21 (62K .pdf)
Table 21, summarizes the specific known habitat limiting factors in each WRIAs in Washington state (i.e., the environmental baseline). Baseline data includes such information as location, sub-basins, land use, zoning, nearshore habitat and forage fish, known and presumed distribution of aquatic species, barriers, structural elements, channel characteristics, water quality, instream flow, riparian condition, watershed health and other data.

Appendix B (103K .pdf)
Tables 22-26 repeated, 11x17

Appendix C (140K .pdf)
Table C-1: Baseline Indicator Levels Effects Matrix for Salmonids and Table C-2: Common Task Descriptions for Road Maintenance Activities

Updated: Jan. 18, 2007