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In our view: Bring Back the Lake

Newest local wetland bank could restore Fargher Lake to its natural state

The Columbian
Published: December 15, 2010, 12:00am

When bulldozers and road graders turn wetland areas into neighborhoods, business parks and other places for modern use, the loss to nature is permanent. Understandably, the developers are expected to compensate for that loss. This is especially important in Washington state, where the scales that balance growth with quality of life can quickly tilt if not monitored carefully.

Developers and the state Department of Ecology do a reasonably good job of maintaining this balance, and an even better strategy — the “wetland banks” concept — is emerging. Two examples of this new way of doing things are under way locally, one near the Port of Vancouver and the other in north Clark County. So far, we’re encouraged by the progress.

The traditional way for a developer to mitigate loss of wetlands is to build some kind of on-site, piecemeal project that is intended to promote drainage or natural growth. These smaller projects often fall short of their purpose. As we noted in an earlier editorial, in 2002 the Department of Ecology reported that only 13 percent of such projects were considered fully successful, and fewer than half were even moderately successful.

The new way is for developers to combine their money and increase their mitigation power on larger projects. These “wetland banks” sell “credits” to the developers. One example is the Columbia River Wetland Mitigation Bank near the Port of Vancouver. It’s the first certified wetland bank in Southwest Washington, and includes more than 100 acres of the old Rufener Dairy property that had been sold to the port. Plans are to restore the wetlands, plant native trees and shrubs and enhance forest areas and upland floodplains.

Another example is the East Fork Lewis Wetland Mitigation Bank southwest of Amboy near state Highway 503. For many decades, Fargher Lake has been not so much a lake as a place, which farmers long ago drained for agricultural use. As The Columbian’s Erik Robinson reported recently, the lake could return if the 113-acre wetland bank unfolds as planned. Your participation is welcome until Jan. 7 in the form of public comments to Kate Thompson, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504, or kate.thompson@ecy.wa.gov.

For many centuries, the Fargher Lake area was left to the design of three ancient moraines (large piles of rubble deposited by glaciers). The lake sat pristine and proper, as Mother Nature intended. Agricultural influences took over almost a century ago and a set of drainage tiles in the lake expedited conversion into farmland. Pull those drainage tiles, though, and DOE spokesman Curt Hart says water could start returning to the former lake site in a couple of months. Later, water-tolerant trees and shrubs could be planted. Steadily, the wetlands bank could show real progress, not back to its ancient condition, of course, but at least to a scenic, natural area that would offset the incursion of residential and business development elsewhere in the county.

DOE estimates the Fargher Lake project will contain 91 credits to be sold to developers at market-based prices, likely in the range of $125,000 to $150,000 each. Woodinville-based Habitat Bank Inc. will operate the wetland bank, as it does the first bank near the port. Parcels will be purchased from three property owners in the Fargher Lake area.

It’s good to see wetland banks moving toward reality. Mitigating the influences of development is an important concept. It helps make Washington a great state, this ongoing acknowledgement that balancing the needs of nature and civilization is more than just necessary; it’s mandatory if Washingtonians are to maintain our quality of life.

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