What a week. On Friday, June 18, SCWC received a letter from the City of DuPont stating the following about the beaver deceiver’s project:
“In summary, the DuPont Municipal Code requires a Type III Sensitive Area Ordinance (SAO) application with a public hearing and SEPA review for the project. The combined SAO application and SEPA review filing fee is $4,500, payable at time of filing. The processing time is approximately 4.5 to 5 months from submittal of a complete application to final decision.”
- Letter from Bill Kingman, Senior Planner with the City of DuPont to SCWC
Keep in mind, the grant for this project is $2,500 and expires at the end of September. The City of DuPont has known about this project since February 2010. They are just now telling us its going to cost $4,500 in permit fees? REALLY?
You can imagine, emotions ran fairly high on Friday. Once word started to spread, emails began pouring in saying the City of DuPont has yet again failed to take responsibility of its own wetland. There is some comfort in reading emails that state:
“ get this started so it is in the works to hold the city responsible for work that they should have been done long ago.”
-or -
“Dupont planners are probably unaware of the salmon rules. All agencies have 30 days to respond to the JARPA at all levels.”
What bothers most however is when CalPortland applied for their mine expansion back in December of 06, the City of DuPont failed to require CalPortland to apply for a SAO for Edmonds Marsh even though their proposal, draining and altering the Vashon Aquifer that feeds into Edmonds Marsh, will also alter this Class I wetland.
SCWC beaver deceiver project is for wetland enhancement, and one step in a long process of salmon restoration. The City of DuPont has ignored its biggest and most prized wetland for years. Here is a citizen’s group trying to assist the city in taking care of it’s property, and this is how we are treated. You can read the letter here.
Do you see a double standard taking place here? You be the judge. Contact the DuPont City Council Members and the Mayor if this type of behavior bothers you.
