Clallam County to mull stormwater grant extension
Published 12:01 am Tuesday, March 20, 2012
PORT ANGELES — Clallam County will execute a no-cost extension of a federal grant for stormwater management, commissioners indicated Monday.
The $719,745 Environmental Protection Agency grant is helping the county develop a comprehensive stormwater management plan.
Set to expire
Since the EPA West Coast Estuaries Initiative grant is set to expire March 31, commissioners will consider extending the grant to March 2013 when they meet today.
In a related matter, the three-member board will consider a no-cost contract extension with Sound Resolutions, a Seattle-based engineering firm, for stormwater management through Dec. 31.
Planning Manager Steve Gray said that the county needs to have the extension in order to fulfill the county’s obligations for the EPA grant, which it received in 2008.
“Last year, we completed a draft stormwater management plan, a pilot stormwater monitoring program, a draft public outreach plan, and received rough drafts for return and review of clearing and grading types of ordinances,” Gray told commissioners.
Provided input
The county Planning Commission and Public Works Department provided input on the draft stormwater plan.
Senior Planner Carol Creasey said the remaining $64,000 in the grant will be used to finalize the stormwater management plan, including a public outreach element.
Any regulatory changes that come from the stormwater plan will be addressed in public forums, Creasey said.
The dates and locations of those forums have not been announced.
The stormwater planning document is separate from the county’s state-mandated update to its decades-old Shoreline Master Program.
The county Planning Commission will hold a continued orientation on a working draft of the shoreline plan Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Drafts of both the stormwater management plan and Shoreline Master Program are available at www.clallam.net.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
