Damaged Deschutes River shoreline to be restored under settlement agreement

A section of the Deschutes River shoreline in Thurston County will be restored under a settlement agreement between the Washington Department of Ecology and the business owning the property.

The river shoreline had been damaged by unauthorized development and unpermitted commercial and recreational activities.

Under the agreement, AECCC Family Land and AECCC Family Land Trust will pay a $20,000 fine, with the remainder of Ecology’s original $204,000 penalty suspended as long as the company takes action to restore the environmental damage.

The company must immediately stop all unpermitted shoreline development and vegetation clearing activities on four connected parcels near Yelm, where a 1,700-foot section of the Deschutes River flows along the northern edge of the property.

The firm must also halt unauthorized recreational and commercial activities occurring in shoreline jurisdiction on the property. This includes a recreational vehicle park and commercial hauling business where large volumes of solid waste and construction debris were stored next to the river.

Ecology found the business operation had unlawfully built roads, parking lots and structures within 200 feet of the Deschutes River’s ordinary high water mark, a protected and environmentally sensitive area.

The unpermitted structures and development may also conflict with Thurston County’s shoreline master program that Ecology approved in 1990. This set of local land-use policies and regulations governs how the Deschutes River shoreline will be developed and protected.

To ensure compliance with state and local shoreline regulations, the company must submit plans, for Ecology’s approval, to take the following actions:

• Restore damaged wetlands on the property and identify, map and mark the boundaries of all wetlands on the four parcels to protect these areas while still allowing farming to continue.
• Remediate an unlined manure lagoon and prevent polluted stormwater runoff and protect water quality.
• Remove the recreational vehicle park, shop building, retaining wall and other commercial structures and development in shoreline jurisdiction.
• Remove construction debris, junk vehicles, boulders, concrete and other materials from the riverbank and shoreline area.
• Replant disturbed areas with native vegetation.