§ 24.25.420. Wells—New.

A.

New individual and community wells serving approved uses shall only be allowed within important habitat area if there is not sufficient buildable area on the property outside the habitat area to accommodate the well, as determined by the approval authority. New well houses are not permitted in riparian habitat areas, marine riparian habitat area, pond buffers or priority species conservation areas. Also see Article III of the Rules and Regulations of the Thurston County Board of Health Governing Water Supplies.

B.

Access to wells in important habitat areas shall be by a pervious trail no more than four feet in width unless the approval authority determines that it is necessary to provide vehicular access to a community well. In that case, the approval authority may authorize an unimproved access of minimal width (no greater than eight feet) to provide access for maintenance vehicles.

C.

Maintenance of the trail/access road shall not involve the use of herbicides or other hazardous materials.

(Ord. No. 14773, § 3(Att. B), 7-24-2012)

APPENDIX 24.25-1

Table 24.25-4. Habitats of Local Importance

Habitat	Purpose of Habitat/Basis for Listing	Related Species
Cottonwood floodplains	Current floodplain regulations do not protect this habitat from being cleared for converting to agricultural uses. This is a habitat found only along the Nisqually River in Thurston County. Cottonwoods are a keystone species in many riparian zones (Johnson et al 2001).	Red-eyed vireo
Balds (dry plant communities, grasslands)	Globally unique and rare plant community. Primarily located in SE corner of Thurston County, vicinity of Bald Hills. Similar to prairies, but smaller and shallower soils (associated with bedrock outcrops).
Prairie or Westside Prairie	Important prairie or westside prairie habitat means herbaceous, non-forested (forested means greater than or equal to sixty percent forest canopy cover) plant communities that can either take the form of a dry prairie where soils are well-drained or a wet prairie. Priority dry prairie areas have a minimum size of one acre. In addition, some areas dominated by Scot's (Scotch) Broom (non-native shrub) or other invasive species to prairies shall be considered prairie if the area is restorable and when there are native prairie species in the understory below the shrubs. Such marginal and restorable areas can be less valuable, but may have significant value if they are large in area, or in a landscape that connects two or more prairies. Small areas less than one acre with characteristics meeting the definition of prairie habitat which are functionally connected to another larger prairie habitat within approximately one half mile are also important prairie habitat areas. Mima mounds shall be preserved to the greatest practicable extent as determined by the review authority. See the definitions for prairie habitat, dry prairie, and wet prairie.	Mazama pocket gopher, Taylor's checkerspot bufferfly, Mardon skipper, streaked horned lark
Oregon White Oak Habitat	Important Oak Habitat means stands of Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) or oak/conifer associations where canopy coverage of the oak component of the stand is twenty-five percent or more; or where total canopy coverage of the stand is less than twenty-five percent, but oak accounts for at least fifty percent of the canopy coverage. The latter is often referred to as oak savanna. Important oak habitat consists of stands greater than or equal to one acre (0.4 hectares) in size. Single oaks or stands less than one acre (0.4 hectares) shall also be considered an important habitat when found to be particularly valuable to fish and wildlife (i.e. they contain many cavities, have a large diameter at breast height, are used by priority species, or have a large canopy), or are located in degraded habitat areas. Individual oak trees and stands of pure oak or oak conifer associations less than one acre in size that are located in close proximity to an oak habitat larger than one acre may also be considered an important habitat.	Western gray squirrel
Springs and seeps (includes mineral springs)	Forested springs/seeps are protected in the Forests and Fish Report to protect stream associated amphibians (SAA), protect water quality, etc. fifty-foot no cut buffer required. Mineral springs are important to Band-tailed pigeons, especially during breeding season.	Band Tailed Pigeon

 

Table 24.25-5. Wildlife Species of Local Importance

Common Name	Scientific Name	Basis for Listing as Locally Important
Birds:		The following bird species depend on prairie habitat and are declining in population due to loss of habitat. They serve as indicator species for relatively large and/or healthy prairie and may assist in protection of prairie habitat.
Western Meadowlark	Sturnell neglecta	Prairie species. Needs large open areas. Found on Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM), Mima Mounds, and Olympia Airport year round.
Lazuli Bunting	Passerina amoena	Prairie species. Declining populations. Found near Scatter Creek and Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM).
Common nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	Prairie species. Population declining significantly.
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Prairie species. Population is declining. Nests in cavities. Can use nest boxes.
Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus	Prairie and herbaceous wetlands. Ground nester. Uncommon breeding in Washington.
American Bittern	Botaurus lengitinosus	State of Washington Birds classifies A. Bittern as a Species of Immediate Concern for wetlands.
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Contopus cooperi	State of Washington Birds classifies Olive-sided Flycatcher as a Species of Immediate Concern for forests.
Short-eared owl	Asio flammeus	State of Wa Birds classifies Short-eared owl as a Species of High Concern for grasslands.
Amphibians and Reptiles:		The following amphibian species ranges have been significantly reduced due to habitat alteration and development. Sensitive to site and landscape alterations, specifically that limit breeding and foraging site connectivity, and dispersal/seasonal corridors.
Olympic Torrent Salamander	Rhyacotriton olympicus	Three of the four species of Rhyacotritoninae occur in Thurston County - Olympic Torrent, Columbia Torrent, and Cascade Torrent. Cascade and Columbia Torrent salamanders are both listed as State Candidate Species by WDFW. Erik Neatherlin of WDFW and Bill Leonard, Biologist with WDOT, both recommend listing the Olympic Torrent Salamander as a Locally Important Species due to their association with old-growth forests and sensitivity to increased temperatures and sedimentation in streams and headwaters.
Tailed Frog	Ascaphus truie	Sensitive to timber harvest. Survival may depend on protection of cool flowing streams required for breeding and larval development. Likely to be affected by increased water temperatures occurring after timber harvest. Headwater stream protection through buffers is important mitigation measure.
Cope's Giant Salamander	Dicamptodon copei	Cope's giant salamander (Dicamptodon copei) are sensitive to habitat change and fragmentation from development. Both species would be expected to occur in the extreme SE portion of the county, similar to the two PHS species, Cascades torrent salamander and Van Dyke's salamander. The SE portion of the county in the headwaters of the Deschutes systems and the Nisqually system in the vicinity of Alder lake should be considered a "hot" region for all four (2 PHS, 2 local species mentioned) as this area is the only place they are likely to occur in the county. (Source: E. Neatherlin, WDFW)
Pacific Giant Salamander	Dicamptodon tenebrosus	May be associated with old-growth forests. Found in moist coniferous forests. During breeding season found in or near streams. Closely associated with high gradient streams with coarse substrate.

 

Table 24.25-6. Prairie Soils

Series Name	SCS Map Symbol #
Baldhill	5, 6, 7, 8
Cagey	20
Everett	32, 33
Grove	42
Indianola	46, 47
Nisqually	73, 74
Spana	109
Spanaway	110, 111, 112, 113, 114
Tenino	117

 

Table 24.25-7. Diagnostic Wet Prairie Plants

Scientific Name	Common Name
Camassia leichtlinii	giant camas
Camassia quamash	common camas
Carex densa	dense sedge*
Carex feta	green-sheath sedge
Carex tumulicola	foot-hill sedge
Carex unilateralis	one-sided sedge
Deschampsia cespitosa	tufted hairgrass
Deschampsia danthonioides	annual hairgrass
Downingia yina	Cascade downingia
Eryngium petiolatum	Oregon coyote thistle*
Lomatium bradshawii	Bradshaw's lomatium* Federally Endangered Species
Lotus pinnatus	bog bird's-foot-trefoil*
Lupinus polyphyllus	large-leaf lupine
Perideridia gairdneri	Gairdner's yampah
Plagiobothrys figuratus	fragrant popcorn flower
Polemonium carneum	great polemonium*
Polygonum bistortoides	American bistort*
Potentilla gracilis	graceful (fanleaf) cinquefoil
Ranunculus alismifolius	plantain-leaf buttercup
Ranunculus orthorhynchus	bird's-food buttercup
Saxifraga integrifolia	northwestern saxifrage
Saxifraga oregana	bog saxifrage
Sidalcea malviflora var. virgata	rose checkermallow*
Sisyrinchium idahoense	Idaho blue-eyed-grass
Veratrum californicum	California false hellebore
Veratrum viride	American false hellebore*
* Rare Wet Prairie Species

 

Table 24.25-8. Diagnostic Dry Prairie Plants (Common and Rare)

Scientific Name	Common Name
Apocynum androsaemifolium	spreading dogbane
Balsamorhiza deltoidea	deltoid balsamroot
Brodiaea coronaria ssp. coronaria	harvest firecracker-flower
Camassia quamash	common camas
Carex inops ssp. inops	long-stolon sedge
Castilleja levisecta	golden Indian paintbrush * Federal Threatened Species
Castilleja hispida	harsh Indian paintbrush
Danthonia californica	California oatgrass
Delphinium menziesii	Puget Sound larkspur
Delphinium nuttallii	upland larkspur
Dodecatheon hendersonii	Henderson's shootingstar
Erigeron speciosus	showy fleabane (aspen fleabane)
Eriophyllum lanatum var. lanatum	common woolly sunflower
Festuca idahoensis v. roemeri	Roemer's fescue
Fragaria virginiana	Virginia strawberry
Fritillaria affinis	chocolate lily
Hieracium scouleri	hound's-tongue hawkweed
Koeleria macrantha (cristata)	prairie Junegrass
Linanthus bicolor	bicolored desert-gold
Lomatium triternatum	ternate desert-parsley
Lomatium utriculatum	foothills desert-parsley
Lomatium nudicaule	barestem biscuitroot
Lupinus albicaulis	sickle-keel lupine
Lupinus lepidus var. lepidus	prairie lupine
Microseris laciniata	cut-leaf silverpuffs
Plectritis congesta	shortspur seablush
Potentilla gracillis	fanleaf cinquefoil
Ranunculus occidentalis var. occidentalis	western buttercup
Saxifraga integrifolia	northwestern saxifrage
Sericocarpus rigidus	aster Curtus (white topped aster)
Silene scouleri	Scouler's catchfly
Sisyrinchium idahoense	Idaho blue-eyed-grass
Solidago missouriensis	Missouri goldenrod
Solidago simplex var. simplex (S. Spathulata)	sticky goldenrod
Solidago spathulata	spikelike goldenrod
Trifolium willdenowii (T. tridentatum)	springbank clover
Triteleia grandiflora	Howell's triteleia
Triteleia hyacinthina	white triteleia
Viola adunca	early blue violet (sand violet)
Viola praemorsa var. nuttallii	upland yellow violet
Zigadenus venenosus var. venenosus	meadow death-camas

 

(Ord. No. 14773, § 3(Att. B), 7-24-2012)