Mitigation Guidance, Templates, Regulations and Links

• Mitgation Templates and Examples
• WSDOT Mitigation Guidance
• Performance Criteria
• Regulations Guiding Wetland Protection
• Interagency Guidance on Wetland Mitigation
• Wetland Mitigation Types
• Mitigation Requirements and Ratios
• Impact Assessment and Wetland Delineation   

Mitigation Templates and Examples

• Generic Consultant Scope of Work for Wetland Mitigation (pdf 84 kb)
• Mitigation Site Wetland Technical Memo Example 1 (pdf 3.5 mb) and Example 2 (pdf 61 kb). Required if wetlands are present on the mitigation site.
• Wetland and Stream Mitigation Report Template (doc 1.2 mb)   

WSDOT-Specific Mitigation Guidance

• Generic Mitigation Process (pdf 131 kb)
• Approximate Timeline for Wetland Mitigation (pdf 72 kb) This timeline is generic and may vary from region to region. Please verify with the regional biologist.
• Generic Consultant Scope of Work for Wetland Mitigation (pdf 84 kb) This scope of work is generic and may vary from region to region. Please verify with the regional biologist.
• Wetland and Buffer Impact Assessment Guidance (pdf 363 kb)
• Mitigation Area Calculation Guidance (pdf 70 kb)
• Wetlands Guidance on Cultural Resources (pdf 9 kb)
• Preliminary Wetland Mitigation Site Selection Process (pdf 35 kb) This process is generic and may vary from region to region. Please verify with the regional biologist.
• Site Evaluation Matrix (pdf 26 kb)
• Wetland Mitigation Site Evaluation Matrix Guidance (pdf 20 kb)
• Mitigation Site Wetland Technical Memo Example 1 (pdf 3.5 mb) and Example 2 (pdf 61 kb).  Required if wetlands are present on the mitigation site.
• NEPA/SEPA Mitigation Memorandum (38 kb) 
• Wetland and Stream Mitigation Report Template (doc 1.2 mb)
• Mitigation Design Evaluation Checklist (pdf 35 kb)
• Wildlife Habitat Structures in Mitigation Sites (pdf 1.3 mb)

Performance Criteria

• Writing Performance Measures and Performance Standards For Wetland Mitigation (pdf 120 kb)
• Woody Vegetation Performance Criteria for Wetland Mitigation Sites in Washington (pdf 55 kb)
• Reed Canarygrass Cover (pdf 62 kb)
• Hydrology (pdf 25 kb)
• Establishing Appropriate Benchmarks For Site Development by Documenting Successional Characteristics (pdf 238 kb)(Celedonia 2002)
• Wildlife Habitat Structures in Mitigation Sites (pdf 1.3 mb)  

Regulations Guiding Wetland Protection

• Section 401 of the Clean Water Act
• Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
• Governor's Executive Order 89-10
• Governor's Executive Order 90-04
• Washington State's Growth Management Act
• Local Critical Areas Ordinances
• WSDOT Wetland Regulations WebPage provides additional information and links.

Interagency Guidance on Wetland Mitigation

• Final Federal Rule on Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources (2008) (pdf 567 kb), developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), clarifies how to provide compensatory mitigation for wetland impacts.
• Best Available Science was developed by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) in response to the state's Growth Management Act.

The following two volumes, also known as Joint Guidance, were developed by Ecology, the EPA, and the USACE:

• Wetland Mitigation in Washington State: Part 1 - Agency Policies and Guidance (2006)
• Wetland Mitigation in Washington State: Part 2 - Developing Mitigation Plans (2006)

Wetland Mitigation Types

• Compensatory Wetland Mitigation Types (pdf 27 kb)
• WSDOT Wetland Mitigation Banking Webpage
• WSDOT Guidance on Preservation of High Quality Wetlands (pdf 229 kb)

Mitigation Requirements and Ratios

Ecology's guidance Wetland Mitigation in Washington State includes the following information about mitigation ratios and buffer widths:

• Mitigation Ratios for Western Washington (pdf 20 kb)
• Mitigation Ratios for Eastern Washington (pdf 20 kb)
• Guidance on Widths of Buffers in Western Washington (pdf 180 kb)
• Guidance on Widths of Buffers in Eastern Washington (pdf 176 kb)

For information about locating a mitigation site on public lands, refer to Chapter 457 of the Environmental Procedures Manual regarding Section 4(f) properties.  

Impact Assessment and Wetland Delineation

• WSDOT Delineation and Assessment WebPage
• WSDOT Wetland and Stream Assessment Report (doc 457 kb)
• Wetland and Buffer Impact Assessment Guidance (pdf 363 kb)