SEA Program
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Washington’s Shoreline Management Act
(SMA) was adopted by the public in a
1972 referendum “to prevent the inherent harm in an uncoordinated and
piecemeal development of the state’s shorelines.” The SMA has three
broad policies:
1. Encourage water-dependent uses: "uses shall be preferred which
are consistent with control of pollution and prevention of damage to the
natural environment, or are unique to or dependent upon use of the states'
shorelines...”
2. Protect shoreline natural resources, including "...the land and
its vegetation and wildlife, and the water of the state and their aquatic
life..."
3. Promote public access: “the public’s opportunity to enjoy the
physical and aesthetic qualities of natural shorelines of the state shall
be preserved to the greatest extent feasible consistent with the overall
best interest of the state and the people generally."
WAC's 173-18,
20,
22, and
27
were recently amended to clarify procedures for documenting the
jurisdiction of the Shoreline Management Act within shoreline master
programs. The rules were also updated to be consistent with recent
amendments to the Shoreline Management Act. Click on the links to view
the new rules.
News:
Washington Departments of Ecology and Community, Trade and
Economic Development ask Supreme Court to reconsider Futurewise
v. Anacortes decision
On Aug. 20, 2008, The Washington state departments of
Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) and Ecology
filed a motion asking the state Supreme Court to reconsider its
recent decision in the Futurewise v. Anacortes case.
Read more
State-local partnership
The SMA is administered through a cooperative program between local
governments and Ecology:
The Act
places a strong emphasis on public participation in
developing local shoreline
programs and in the
local permit process.
Shoreline Master Program updates
Ecology's adoption of
new shoreline master program (SMP) guidelines in 2003 initiated
a new generation of shoreline planning in Washington. The guidelines were developed as part of a year-long negotiated
settlement that also led to adoption of shoreline legislation (effective
July 2003) that established a new
schedule for updating SMPs, and a biennial appropriation of $2 million
to fund local SMP development.
Ecology administers an SMP Grants
Program that provides funding for local jurisdictions to under take
comprehensive SMP updates. The most recent funding round closed in the
sprint of 2007, the next round will open in the spring of 2009.
