PORT ANGELES — Clallam County told the state Department of Ecology in a letter signed by the commissioners Tuesday that unincorporated Port Angeles urban growth area shouldn’t be covered by the 2012 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System phase II municipal stormwater general permit.
Ecology is evaluating the east Port Angeles urban growth area — or UGA — for possible inclusion in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
Such a designation would require “more restrictive and more stringent” stormwater regulations, Clallam County Community Development Director Sheila Roark Miller said.
“Hopefully, Ecology will realize that a phase II permit maybe isn’t a good fit for unincorporated Clallam County,” said Commissioner Steve Tharinger, who is also a representive for the 24th District, which covers
Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County.
County community development and public works staff drafted the letter in response to a May 10 letter from Ecology.
The county is in the middle of developing a final draft of its comprehensive stormwater management plan that addresses stormwater issues.
Streamkeepers of Clallam County, a 100-plus volunteer stream-monitoring program, does regular stream monitoring in the eastern UGA.
“We hope the county does not end up having to manage one stormwater program in the unincorporated PAUGA [Port Angeles urban growth area] and another in the rest of the county,” the letter reads.
“In the stressed revenue and budget environment that local jurisdictions currently operate under, it must be recognized that the draft NPDES [National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System] Phase II permit language will impose significant new fiscal burdens on budgets that are already strained.”
The county argued in the letter that the urban growth area doesn’t merit coverage under the permit.
Should the city of Port Angeles annex portions of the urban growth area, those areas would automatically fall under the city’s phase II designation.
Commissioners held a work session May 31 to discuss a draft letter to Ecology.
Revisions were made by public works and community development staff.
Ecology plans to hold a meeting with county officials later this month to discuss its evaluation for inclusion of the urban growth area for possible inclusion in the phase II municipal stormwater general permit, Clallam County Senior Planner Carol Creasey said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
