“Aquifer recharge” means the process of infiltration and migration by which ground water is replenished.

“Aquifers” means groundwater-bearing geologic formations that contain enough saturated permeable material to yield significant quantities of water to wells.

“Artificial wetlands intentionally created from nonwetland sites” means only those wetlands which, upon examination using best available science, are found to have two of the following criteria:

“Best available science” means a valid scientific process or method of inquiry that is consistent with the criteria for establishing best available science as found in WAC 365-195-900, as amended.

“Best management practices” means conservation practices or systems of practices and management measures that promote the intent of this title.

“Buffer” means an area that surrounds and protects critical area functions from adverse impacts.

“Buffer management” means actions and practices conducted for the purpose of protection and enhancement of critical areas by moderating or eliminating adverse impacts from adjacent land(s) or areas to create a buffer from encroachment by urban growth areas.

“Critical aquifer recharging areas” means locations which have the capacity to replenish the storage of underground water due to favorable hydrological and topographical conditions.

“Critical areas” include the following areas and ecosystems:

Federal or State Endangered, Threatened, Candidate Species.

“Frequently flooded areas” include lands in the floodplain subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. These areas include, but are not limited to, streams, rivers, lakes, coastal areas, wetlands and other natural water sources.

“Geologically hazardous areas” means areas that, because of their susceptibility to erosion, sliding, earthquake, or other geological events, are not suited to the siting of commercial, residential, or industrial development consistent with public health or safety concerns.

“Groundwater management program” means a comprehensive program designed to protect groundwater quality, to assure groundwater quantity, and to provide for efficient management of water resources while recognizing existing groundwater rights and meeting future needs consistent with local and state objectives, policies and authorities within a designated groundwater management area or subarea developed pursuant to WAC 173-100.

“Habitat” means the environment occupied by individuals of a particular species, populations or community.

“Hazardous waste,” for the purpose of this title, means and includes all dangerous and extremely hazardous wastes designated in WAC 173-303-040 and 173-303-070 through 173-303-100 and RCW 70A.300.010.

“Impacts” means adverse effects of one thing upon another.

“Local habitat area” means an area that contains sufficient food, water, or cover for native terrestrial or aquatic species that the city has identified in this title as being of significant local concern.

“Major development” includes proposed development projects that are subject to objective and subjective standards that require the exercise of limited discretion about nontechnical issues, and which may require a public hearing. The proposed development may or may not be subject to SEPA review; however, any project action not listed as categorically exempt from SEPA review shall be considered a “major development” for the purposes of this title. Included within this type of development are subdivisions, conditional use permits, planned residential developments, shoreline substantial development permits and other similar applications.

“Minor development” includes proposed development projects that are subject to clear, objective and nondiscretionary standards that require the exercise of professional judgment about technical issues and the proposed development is exempt from the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Included within this type of development are single-family building permits, temporary use permits, boundary line adjustments, short subdivisions, home occupations, and accessory uses and/or structures.

“Mitigation” means actions that the approving agency shall require so as to avoid or compensate for impacts to critical areas resulting from the proposed project activity.

“Native,” when referring to plants or plant communities, means those species or communities that are indigenous to the watershed, including extirpated species.

“New construction” means structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.

“On-site” means the same, geographically contiguous, or bordering property. On-site hazardous waste treatment and storage facilities treat and store wastes generated on the same property.

“Primary association” means key habitat components that are critical to the life cycle of native wildlife species, i.e., nesting sites, wintering areas, and migration corridors. Loss of these values will result in fragmentation into subpopulations or extinction of populations from local areas.

“Priority Habitats and Species Program” means Washington Department of Wildlife’s system of classifying habitats and associated species that are of specific concern due to population status and/or sensitivity to habitat manipulation.

“Regulated activities” includes land clearing, grading, placement of fill or waste material, removal of protected native vegetation, construction, platting, zone changes and other habitat altering activities.

“Restoration” means actions performed to reestablish wetland functional characteristics and processes which have been lost by alterations, activities or catastrophic events within an area which no longer meets the definition of a wetland.

“Review authority” means the decision maker and/or administrator that issues the final land use decisions, not the appeal authority.

“Riparian areas” means lands that occur along watercourses and water bodies. Typical examples include flood plains and streambanks.

“Sensitive species” means species native to Washington that are vulnerable or declining and are likely to become endangered or threatened in a significant portion of their ranges within the state, without cooperative management or the removal of the threats. These species are designated in WAC 220-200-100.

“SEPA” means the State Environmental Policy Act, Chapter 43.21C RCW and Chapter 197-11 WAC.

“Sole source aquifer” means an aquifer designated by EPA as the sole or principal source of drinking water for a given aquifer service area; that is, an aquifer which is needed to supply 50 percent or more of the drinking water for that area and for which there are no reasonably available alternative sources should the aquifer become contaminated.

“Start of construction” means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, placement of a manufactured home on a foundation or other permanent construction beyond the stage of excavation was within 180 days of the permit date.

“Substantial damage” means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the costs of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

“Substantial improvement” means any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure either:

For the purpose of this definition “substantial improvement” is considered to occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure.

“Threatened” species are native to the state of Washington and likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout a significant portion of their ranges within the state without cooperative management or the removal of threats. Threatened species are legally designated in WAC 220-200-100.

“Treatment” means the physical, chemical, or biological processing of dangerous waste to make such wastes nondangerous or less dangerous, safer for transport, amenable for energy or material resource recovery, amenable for storage, or reduced in volume.

“Vehicle” means any contrivance in or on which persons or things may be contained, carried, or conveyed, whether in motion or standing, and includes mobile homes or recreational vehicles whether or not fixed or fitted with wheels or runners.

“Wetland” or “wetlands” means areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. “Wetlands” generally includes swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas. “Wetlands” does not include those artificial wetlands intentionally created from nonwetland sites, including, but not limited to, irrigation and drainage ditches, grass-lined swales, canals, detention facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, farm ponds and landscape amenities, or those wetlands created after July 1, 1990, that were unintentionally created as a result of the construction of a road, street, or highway. “Wetlands” may include those artificial wetlands intentionally created from nonwetland areas created to mitigate conversion of wetlands. (Ord. 1803, §1, 2022).