Publication Summary

The principle effect of these rule amendments is to revise the agency′s method for updating the "official" maps of shoreline jurisdiction. The new method will ensure consistency with the updated Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs) prepared by cities and counties across the state.

The principle effect of these rule amendments is to revise the agency′s method for updating the "official" maps of shoreline jurisdiction. The new method will ensure consistency with the updated Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs) prepared by cities and counties across the state.

In the early 1970′s Ecology incorporated the current "official" maps and lists of Shoreline jurisdiction into the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). This rule amendment updates the rules so that each local government′s new or updated SMP maps become the "official" map of shoreline jurisdiction when the Department approves a new Shoreline Master Program.

Many of the cities and counties have not updated their SMPs since they first adopted them in the 1970s. The Department of Ecology is providing grant funding and technical assistance to local governments to help them update their SMPs, and is responsible for reviewing and approving the updated SMPs. In the years after the comprehensive SMP updates are complete, additional water bodies may be identified that meet the threshold for Shorelines of the State described below (for example, new reservoirs exceeding 20 acres in surface area.)

The rule now requires that a local government update their SMP to add these newly-identified water bodies within three years.