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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit F -Critical Area Report-09-27-2021 304TH STREET PROPERTY CITY OF FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON CRITICAL AREAS REPORT Prepared By: Curtis Wambach, M.S. Senior Biologist and Principal 27 September 2021 360-790-1559 www.envirovector.com 304TH STREET PROPERTY CRITICAL AREAS REPORT Prepared For: Soundbuilt Homes Prepared By: Curtis Wambach, M.S., Senior Biologist and Principal EnviroVector Olympia, WA 98502 (360) 790-1559 www.envirovector.com 27 September 2021 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page i 27 September 2021 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Property Location ............................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Site Evaluation ................................................................................................................. 1 1.4 Subject Property ............................................................................................................... 1 2.0 METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 1 2.1 Review of Existing Literature .......................................................................................... 2 2.2 Field Investigation ............................................................................................................ 2 2.3 Wetland Identification ...................................................................................................... 2 2.3.1 Vegetation ................................................................................................................. 3 2.3.2 Soils........................................................................................................................... 3 2.3.3 Hydrology ................................................................................................................. 3 2.4 Wetland Classification and Rating ................................................................................... 4 3.0 STUDY RESULTS .............................................................................................................. 4 3.1 Background Information .................................................................................................. 4 3.1.1 NRCS Soils Data ...................................................................................................... 4 3.1.2 King County Geodata Wetlands & Streams ............................................................. 5 3.1.3 WDFW Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) Database ............................................ 5 3.1.4 City of Federal Way Critical Areas map................................................................... 5 3.2 Field Results ..................................................................................................................... 5 4.0 REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................... 6 5.0 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 6 6.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 7 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 1 27 September 2021 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this Critical Areas Report is to identify and map Critical Areas on and within three hundred (300) feet of the subject property. This Critical Areas Report has been prepared to satisfy City of Federal Way reporting requirements. 1.2 Property Location The 5.94-acre subject property is located in Federal Way, WA (Figure 1; Table 1). Table 1. Parcels Comprising Subject Property Parcels Property Address Parcel Number Section Township Range Property Size (Acres) 1 --- 0521049033 Section 05 Township 21N Range 4 5.94 1 Parcels Total Size 5.94 acres The permitting jurisdiction is City of Federal Way. 1.3 Site Evaluation Critical Areas evaluations were performed on the subject property on 17 June 2021, 9 August 2021, 16 August 2021. 1.4 Subject Property The entire subject property is highly impacted by homeless encampments and residual trash, human waste, and drug paraphernalia (Appendix A, Photos 1-14). Some gentle slopes are located on the subject property. Understory vegetation has been cut to increase visibility to discourage further homeless encampments. The subject property is bordered by an arterial road to the south and subdivisions on the other borders. A public school is located southeast of the subject property. 2.0 METHODOLOGY This report is based on a review of existing information and field investigations. The goal of these efforts is to collect and document existing information that reflects current site conditions for assessing potential impacts. 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 2 27 September 2021 2.1 Review of Existing Literature Prior to conducting fieldwork, and throughout the duration of project design, biologists reviewed existing information to identify wetlands, streams, vegetation patterns, topography, soils, wildlife habitats, and other natural resources in the project area. Existing data sources that were reviewed for this report included, but were not limited to, the following: • Washington. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Survey • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wetlands Inventory (NWI), online wetlands mapper • Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Salmonscape Database • Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Priority Habitats and Species Database • Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Natural Heritage Database • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Studies 2.2 Field Investigation A wetland evaluation was performed onsite as well as offsite of the subject property to determine if wetlands, streams, or their buffers extend onto the subject property. The routine on-site determination method was used to identify potential wetlands using the procedures outlined in the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory, 1987) and the 2010 USACE Regional Wetland Supplement. 2.3 Wetland Identification Prior to 2010, biologists delineated wetlands according to the methods specified in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Wetlands Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory 1987). At that time, these methods complied with those in the Washington State Wetland Identification and Delineation Manual (Washington State Department of Ecology [Ecology] 1997). Following 2010, biologists evaluate wetlands according to the methods specified in the USACE’s Wetlands Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory 1987) and the Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast Region (Version 2.0) (USACE 2010). These methods comply with those adopted by Washington State pursuant to Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-22-035, Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 90.58.380. 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 3 27 September 2021 2.3.1 Vegetation The dominant plants and their wetland indicator status were evaluated to determine whether the vegetation is hydrophytic. Hydrophytic vegetation is generally defined as vegetation adapted to prolonged saturated soil conditions. To meet the hydrophytic vegetation criterion, more than fifty (>50) percent of the dominant plants must be facultative, facultative wetland, or obligate, according to the plant indicator status category assigned to each plant species by the USACE National Wetland Plant List. Table 2 provides the definitions of the indicator status categories. The scientific and common names for plants follow the currently accepted nomenclature. Dominant plant species were observed and recorded on wetland determination data forms for each data plot (Appendix H). Table 2. Key to Plant Indicator Status Categories Plant Indicator Status Category Symbol Description Obligate Wetland Plants OBL Plants that almost always (>99% of the time) occur in wetlands but may rarely (<1% of the time) occur in non-wetlands Facultative Wetland Plants FACW Plants that often (67% to 99% of the time) occur in wetlands but sometimes (1% to 33% of the time) occur in non-wetlands Facultative Plants FAC Plants with a similar likelihood (33% to 66% of the time) of occurring in both wetlands and non-wetlands Facultative Upland Plants FACU Plants that sometimes (1% to 33% of the time) occur in wetlands but occur more often (67% to 99% of the time) in non-wetlands Upland Plants UPL Plants that rarely (<1% of the time) occur in wetlands and almost always (> 99% of the time) occur in non-wetlands 2.3.2 Soils Test plots are collected if wetland conditions are found. 2.3.3 Hydrology The project area was examined for evidence of hydrology. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2005) provides a technical standard for monitoring hydrology on such sites. This standard requires fourteen (14) or more consecutive days of flooding or ponding, or a water table twelve (12) in. (thirty [30] cm) or less below the soil surface, during the growing season at a minimum frequency of five (5) years in ten (10) (fifty percent [50%] or higher probability). The USACE 2010 Regional Supplement provides a list of hydrology indicators to evaluate whether the hydrology standard is satisfied. If wetland hydrology, including pooling, ponding, and soil saturation, is not clearly evident, hydrological conditions may be observed through surface or soil indicators. Indicators of hydrological conditions include oxidized root channels, drainage patterns, drift lines, sediment deposition, watermarks, historic records, visual observation of saturated soils, and visual observation of inundation. 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 4 27 September 2021 2.4 Wetland Classification and Rating Delineated wetlands were classified according to the USFWS Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States. Hydrogeomorphic classifications were assigned to wetlands using USACE methods established in a Hydrogeomorphic Classification for Wetlands were rated using the revised Washington State Wetland Rating System for Western Washington. 3.0 STUDY RESULTS 3.1 Background Information 3.1.1 NRCS Soils Data No hydric soils are mapped on the subject property. One (1) non-hydric soil types are mapped on the subject property by the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (Appendix B; Table 3). Table 3. King County Geodata Soil Summary Soil Unit Hydric Comments AmC: Arents, Alderwood Material, 0 to 6 percent slopes, 0 to 3% slopes No Covers entire subject property King County Area, Washington AmB—Arents, Alderwood material, 0 to 6 percent slopes Map Unit Setting • National map unit symbol: 1hmsp • Elevation: 160 to 590 feet • Mean annual precipitation: 35 to 60 inches • Mean annual air temperature: 50 degrees F • Frost-free period: 150 to 200 days • Farmland classification: Not prime farmland Map Unit Composition • Arents, alderwood material, and similar soils: 100 percent • Estimates are based on observations, descriptions, and transects of the mapunit. Description of Arents, Alderwood Material Setting • Landform: Till plains • Parent material: Basal till Typical profile • H1 - 0 to 26 inches: gravelly sandy loam • H2 - 26 to 60 inches: very gravelly sandy loam 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 5 27 September 2021 Properties and qualities • Slope: 0 to 6 percent • Depth to restrictive feature: 20 to 40 inches to densic material • Drainage class: Moderately well drained • Capacity of the most limiting layer to transmit water (Ksat): Very low to moderately low (0.00 to 0.06 in/hr) • Depth to water table: About 16 to 36 inches • Frequency of flooding: None • Frequency of ponding: None • Available water supply, 0 to 60 inches: Very low (about 2.3 inches) Interpretive groups • Land capability classification (irrigated): None specified • Land capability classification (nonirrigated): 4s • Hydrologic Soil Group: B/D • Hydric soil rating: No 3.1.2 King County Geodata Wetlands & Streams No wetlands or streams are mapped on the subject property by King County iMap (Appendix C). One (1) off-site stream is mapped eight hundred fifty (850) feet west of the subject property across houses and roads. 3.1.3 WDFW Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) Database No priority habitats or species are mapped on the subject property or within one thousand (1000) feet of the subject property by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) database (Appendix D). 3.1.4 City of Federal Way Critical Areas map No wetlands are mapped on the subject property by the City of Federal Way Critical Areas map (Appendix E). One (1) stream is mapped across the northern portion of the subject property. This blue line extends across lots and other streams and may be an artifact of the map that does not represent a feature on the ground. 3.2 Field Results No wetlands or streams have been identified on the subject property or within three hundred (300) feet of the subject property during this study (Figure 2). High intensity impacts from homeless encampments cover the entire subject property (Appendix A, Photo 1 & 8-10). As such, mountains of trash fill the site impacting soils and vegetation (Appendix A, Photo 13). Propane canisters and drug paraphernalia, including hypodermic needles, litter the site and have been worked into the soils and brush (Appendix A, Photo 11). Understory vegetation on the site, primarily consisting of the introduced invasive weed Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), has been cut to assist in managing encampments. Soils are disturbed as a result of historical land use activities (Appendix A, Photo 14). 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 6 27 September 2021 The Federal Way Critical Areas map shows a blue line across the northern portion of the subject property. This may represent a historical drainage, underground pipe, or an artifact of the map. No drainage was identified on the northern portion of the property that extends offsite. No other Agency databases provided in the Appendices of this report maps any Critical Areas on the subject property. The topography is relatively flat with slight rolling hills. Areas of lower elevations were filled with garbage and waste from encampments at the time of the study. Occupied tents also were observed in areas of lower elevation (Appendix A, photos 8-10). 4.0 REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS Because no Critical Areas were identified on the subject property, no Critical Areas regulations would apply. 5.0 CONCLUSION No wetlands or streams have been identified on the subject property or within three hundred (300) feet of the subject property during this Critical Areas study. 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 7 27 September 2021 6.0 REFERENCES Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter, F.C. Golet, and E.T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. FWSOBS-70/31. Environmental Laboratory. 1987. Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual. Technical Report Y-87-1, US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. Hitchcock, C.L., and A. Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. 730 pp. Iowa State University. 1995. Hydric Soils of Washington State. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. December 5. Munsell Color. 1988. Munsell Soil Color Charts. Kollmorgen Instruments Corp., Baltimore, Maryland. Reed, P.B. Jr. 1988. National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands: Northwest (Region 9). USF&WS Biol. Report 88. Reed, P.B. Jr. 1993. Supplement to: National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands: Northwest (Region 9). USF&WS Biol. Report 88. Reed, P.B. Jr. 1998. National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands: Northwest (Region 9). USF&WS Update. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. June, 1991. Hydric Soils of the United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1973. King County Area Soil Survey. Washington State Department of Ecology. 1997. Washington State Wetland Identification and Delineation Manual. March. Washington State Department of Ecology. 2004. . Washington State Wetland Rating System for Western Washington. Ecology Publication # 04-06-025. August. 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 8 27 September 2021 FIGURES 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 9 27 September 2021 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 10 27 September 2021 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 11 27 September 2021 APPENDIX A Photographs 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 12 27 September 2021 Subject Property and Vicinity Photo 1. Active Homeless encampment onsite Photo 2. Soil test in the middle of homeless campsite Photo 3. Soils test Photo 4. Evaluating potential depressional areas Photo 5. Piles of trash on the property Photo 6. Many broken bicycles on property 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 13 27 September 2021 Photo 7. Garbage littered throughout the site Photo 8. Active homeless encampment Photo 9. Active homeless encampment Photo 10. Active homeless encampment Photo 11. Propane canisters and drug paraphernalia Photo 12. Abandoned tents throughout the site 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 14 27 September 2021 Photo 13. Piles of trash on the property Photo 14. Soils evaluation 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 15 27 September 2021 APPENDIX B NRCS Soils Data 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 16 27 September 2021 AmB: Arents, Alderwood material, 0 to 6% slopes (Non- hydric) Subject Property Norma silt loam (hydric) 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 17 27 September 2021 APPENDIX C King County Geodata Wetlands & Streams 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 18 27 September 2021 Subject Property 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 19 27 September 2021 APPENDIX D Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) Database 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 20 27 September 2021 Subject Property 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 21 27 September 2021 APPENDIX E City of Federal Way 304th Street Property in Federal Way Critical Areas Report Page 22 27 September 2021 Subject Property