Shorelines

Why do shorelines matter? They matter because they are essential part of keeping our rivers and streams healthy for all the uses we make of them, including recreational. Rivers and streams are natural systems that behave according to physical laws, studied by hydrologists and others. Properly functioning waterways help maintain clean water and help prevent flooding, among other things. Shorelines have a huge impact on river function and on rivers and streams as habitat. The shoreline of the Klickitat River was affected by the haul road, for example, which disconnected the river from wetlands and partially kept the river in an unnatural channel. This kind of thing leads to higher flows in wet seasons, potentially including flooding, and to lack of water in dry seasons, since water is not being stored in wetlands and released slowly.

The Shorelines Management Act legislation in 1971 was not favored by many environmentalists at the time, who thought it offered insufficient protection for shorelines. The Act requires a management plan.

Here are quotes from and links to County and DOE (Department of Ecology) sites. They have extensive information on the Program, for those interested. I find policy interesting and engaging, so I actually read this stuff.

Here is a link to the current County Shorelines Master Plan, as amended in 2007. Note that there used to be a Shorelines Advisory Committee, which actually had a pretty good cross-section of members.

Here's a link to the Washington State WAC (Washington Administrative Code) chapter on Master Programs. The state uses Program instead of Plan. We should probably do that too.

Here is what the County website has to say.

2016 Shorelines Master Plan Update:
The Klickitat County Planning Department is updating the Klickitat County Shorelines Master Plan per the Washington State Shoreline Management Act requirements.  In updating the Master Plan, we are required to follow the process set forth in Chapter 173-26 WAC.  The process is comprised of several steps.  We are at the beginning of the process i.e. gathering of information.  An announcement was distributed to a number of agencies and others who may have an interest in the update and/or may have relevant information.   Our consultant for the update, The Watershed Company, is currently compiling information as required in Chapter 173-26 WAC.  We anticipate that proposed amendments will likely be available for public review and comment in early 2017.

Here are some links to DOE information:

"Shoreline Master Programs are local land use policies and regulations designed to manage shoreline use. These local programs protect natural resources for future generations, provide for public access to public waters and shores, and plan for water-dependent uses. They are created in partnership with the local community and Ecology, and must comply with the state Shoreline Management Act and Shoreline Master Program Guidelines."

DOE Shoreline Master Program Overview is at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/sma/public/index.html

Introduction to the Shoreline Management Act is at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/sma/st_guide/intro.html, and it includes this statement on policies of the act.

Policies of the Act
There are three basic policy areas to the Act: shoreline use, environmental protection and public access. The Act emphasizes accommodation of appropriate uses that require a shoreline location, protection of shoreline environmental resources and protection of the public's right to access and use the shorelines (RCW 90.58.020).

• Shoreline use: The SMA establishes the concept of preferred uses of shoreline areas. The Act requires that "uses shall be preferred which are consistent with control of pollution and prevention of damage to the natural environment, or are unique to or dependent upon use of the states' shorelines...” . "Preferred" uses include single family residences, ports, shoreline recreational uses, water dependent industrial and commercial developments and other developments that provide public access opportunities. To the maximum extent possible, the shorelines should be reserved for "water-oriented" uses, including "water-dependent", "water-related" and "water-enjoyment" uses.

  The Act affords special consideration to Shorelines of Statewide Significance that have greater than regional importance. Preferred uses for Shorelines of Statewide Significance, in order of priority, are to "recognize and protect the state wide interest over local interest; preserve the natural character of the shoreline; result in long term over short term benefit; protect the resources and ecology of the shoreline; increase public access to publicly owned shoreline areas; and increase recreational opportunities for the public in the shoreline area."

• Environmental protection: The SMA is intended to protect shoreline natural resources, including "...the land and its vegetation and wildlife, and the water of the state and their aquatic life..." against adverse effects. All allowed uses are required to mitigate adverse environmental impacts to the maximum extent feasible and preserve the natural character and aesthetics of the shoreline.

• Public access: Master programs must include a public access element making provisions for public access to publicly owned areas, and a recreational element for the preservation and enlargement of recreational opportunities.

The overarching policy is that "the public's opportunity to enjoy the physical and aesthetic qualities of natural shorelines of the state shall be preserved to the greatest extent feasible consistent with the overall best interest of the state and the people generally. "Alterations of the natural conditions of the shorelines of the state, in those limited instances when authorized, shall be given priority for...development that will provide an opportunity for substantial numbers of people to enjoy the shorelines of the state."

The Act also implements the common law Public Trust Doctrine. The essence of this court doctrine is that the waters of the state are a public resource for the purposes of navigation, conducting commerce, fishing, recreation and similar uses and that this trust is not invalidated by private ownership of the underlying land. The doctrine limits public and private use of tidelands and other shorelands to protect the public's right to use the waters of the state.