State of Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development Critical Areas and Best Available Science website.

State of Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, Critical Areas Handbook

King County Department of Development and Environmental Services, Critical Areas, Stormwater, and Clearing and Grading Ordinances

Yakima County, Yakima County’s Review of Best Available Science for Inclusion in Critical Areas Ordinance Update

Environmental Outlook 2002 – Does best available science work for all buffers, Jon Houghton and Scott Luchessa, Pentec Environmental, July 25, 2002.

Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington, City and County Codes

U.S. Geologic Survey, USGS Washington Water Science Center, Flood Hazards

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, The National Flood Insurance Program

Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington, Flood Hazard Management Planning

Association of State Floodplain Managers

State of Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, Geologically Hazardous Areas

Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and Earth Resources

Washington Department of Ecology, Shorelines and Environmental Assistance Program, Geologically Hazardous Areas

United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, Soils NRCS Soils

Washington State Department of Ecology, Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas Guidance

Washington State Department of Health, Washington’s Source Water Assessment Program

Washington State Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health, Office of Drinking Water

U.S. Geologic Survey, USGS Washington Water Science Center, Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Publications and Products

Spokane Aquifer Joint Board, Reports, Studies, Maps

Idaho Panhandle Health District Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer Program

Fish and Wildlife Habitat

Wetlands

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Habitat

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Priority Habitat and Species

Revised Code of Washington Title 222 Forest Practices, RCW 222

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Watershed Information Network, Anadromous Fish Index

Virginia Cooperative Extension, Knowledge for the Commonwealth, Understanding the Science Behind Riparian Forest Buffers: Planning, Establishment, and Maintenance

Streamnet Pacific Northwest Interactive Mapper – Provides an interactive anadromous fish mapper.

Washington State Department of Ecology, Best Available Science for Wetlands

Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Wetland Rating System for Eastern Washington

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Wetland Functions and Values

http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/wetlands/

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, 1987 Wetlands Delineation Manual

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Online Wetlands Mapper

Progress Made in City of Spokane Critical Areas Ordinance Update

The Spokane City Council approved a resolution adopting a tiered approach to reviewing the critical areas ordinances.  The five Critical Areas ordinances will be placed in one of three tiers based on the following factors:  1) the date they were adopted; recently adopted ordinances will require less scrutiny. 2) whether Best Available Science (BAS) was used when developing the ordinance; emerging science will have greater effect on those ordinance adopted without BAS.  Ordinances recently adopted using BAS will require less review than those adopted several years ago without considering BAS.  City Council also approved a resolution adopting a public participation program for the review.  There are five critical areas identified in the Growth Management Act. They are:  geologically hazardous, frequently flooded, aquifer recharge, fish and wildlife habitat conservation, and wetland areas. 

Critical Area ordinances have been developed and adopted by the City of Spokane and are contained in the following Spokane Municipal Code.

The following links provide scientific information on critical areas.  This list is not all-inclusive.

Codes and Municipal Standards

Municipal code used by area jurisdictions to protect critical areas.

Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington, City and County Critical Areas Ordinances/Best Available Science