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A Motion authorizing the executive director to proceed with writing and issuing a request for proposal to hire a consultant to prepare a SEPA programmatic environmental impact statement for the Lower Green River Corridor Plan.

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WHEREAS, the King County Flood Control Zone District ("District") is embarking on corridor planning for approximately twenty-one river miles of the lower Green River affecting the cities of Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and Renton as well as unincorporated King County; and

WHEREAS, the lower Green River study area includes flood risk reduction facilities in multiple jurisdictional ownerships and is surrounded by mixed land uses, including commercial, residential, industrial, recreational and agricultural; and

WHEREAS, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has identified river water temperature, lack of shade, and lack of juvenile rearing habitat, as significant risks to fish populations that are protected by the Endangered Species Act; and

WHEREAS, Water Resource Inventory Area 9 is responsible for planning related to improving salmon habitat in the lower Green River; and

WHEREAS, the Lower Green River Corridor Plan ("LGRCP") is a follow-up plan to the Interim System-Wide Improvement Framework ("Interim SWIF") submitted to the United States Army Corps of Engineers for acceptance in February 2016; and

                      WHEREAS, the Interim SWIF was written to maintain eligibility for flood damage repairs under the federal PL 84-99 Program, but did not address multiple objectives; and

WHEREAS, the District desires to prepare a SEPA programmatic environmental impact statement ("EIS") to establish a shared vision and goals for the lower Green River corridor related to flood risk reduction, habitat, recreation, agriculture, and other values that may be developed in open collaboration with stakeholders; develop a coordinated set of performance and development guidelines and standards to implement the vision and goals; identify alternatives for improvements that together can help achieve the plan’s vision and goals; and institute programmatic agreements or batched permitting processes to aid in efficient regulatory review of planned capital improvements; and

WHEREAS, the LGRCP will draw on technical work already completed for the Interim SWIF; and

WHEREAS, when complete, the LGRCP shall be formally adopted by the District; and

WHEREAS, when adopted by the District, the LGRCP shall be incorporated into the District Flood Hazard management Plan; and

WHEREAS, the District would like to move the Lower Russell Road levee setback project forward through the EIS review process by incorporating a project-level review within the SEPA programmatic EIS, which will be a subject for discussion with partners and stakeholders during the scoping and environmental process; and 

WHEREAS, the District has included funding for the SEPA programmatic EIS through Resolution No. FCD 2016-10; and

WHEREAS, the District executive committee shall approve the selected EIS consultant and the resulting contract shall be approved by the board of supervisors; and

WHEREAS, the selected firm will report to the District’s project manager and will be required to work collaboratively with the District’s service provider, the King County water and land resources division; now, therefore,

BE IT MOVED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE KING COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL ZONE DISTRICT:

SECTION 1:  The Flood Control District executive director is authorized to write and issue on behalf of the District a request for proposal for a consultant to prepare a

programmatic environmental impact statement for the Lower Green River Corridor Plan.