Our mission is to protect the habitat of Puget Sound tidelands from the underregulated expansion of new and intensive shellfish aquaculture methods. These methods were never anticipated when the Shoreline Management Act was passed. They are transforming the natural tideland ecosystems in Puget Sound and are resulting in a fractured shoreline habitat. In South Puget Sound much of this has been done with few if any meaningful shoreline permits and with limited public input. It is exactly what the Shoreline Management Act was intended to prevent.

Get involved and contact your elected officials to let them you do not support aquaculture's industrial transformation of Puget Sound's tidelands.

Governor Inslee:

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Ecology Releases Pierce County SMP Update with Required and Suggested Changes

DOE has released its approved SMP update for Pierce County to adopt. It includes both required changes (e.g., Pierce County cannot ban dredge material from being discharged in the Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve nor ban aquaculture within 300' of the mouth of a stream in estuaries, saying the latter is too vague) and suggested changes (e.g., clarifies what a "stream channel" is).
[Note: It isn't clear why a "stream channel" is able to be defined but not the mouth of a stream.]

The the county may choose to submit an alternative to all or part of the changes required by Ecology. It is not known when the Council will meet to discuss DOE's response, but DOE has told PC they have 30 days from May 31 to respond. Links to DOE's PC SMP update site are:

Link to DOE letter to PC:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/ezshare/SEA/SMP/PierceCo/ConAppLtr.pdf
Link to PC SMP update page:
https://ecology.wa.gov/Water-Shorelines/Shoreline-coastal-management/Shoreline-coastal-planning/Status-of-local-Shoreline-Master-Programs-SMP/Pierce-County
Link to required changes:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/ezshare/SEA/SMP/PierceCo/AttBReqChg.pdf
Link to suggested changes:
https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/ezshare/SEA/SMP/PierceCo/AttCRecChg.pdf

County Council Contact information:
http://www.piercecountywa.org/99/County-Council

DOE Contact information:
Kim Van Zwalenburg
Senior Shoreline Planner
kim.vanzwalenburg@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-6520

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