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To implement the purpose and policy stated above, as well as the environment and open space goals adopted in the Clallam County Comprehensive Plan, CCC 31.02.320, as applicable, it is the intent of this chapter to accomplish the following:

(1) Conserve and protect the environmental attributes of Clallam County that contribute to the quality of life for residents of both Clallam County and the State of Washington.

(2) Guide development proposals to the most environmentally suitable and naturally stable portion of a development site.

(3) Avoid potential loss of life and damage of property due to landslide, subsidence, erosion, or flooding.

(4) Protect the general public against avoidable losses from maintenance and replacement of public or private facilities, property damage, subsidy cost of public mitigation of avoidable impacts, and costs to the public for emergency rescue and relief operations.

(5) Classify, designate and regulate critical areas and identify the environmental functions that these areas perform.

(6) Protect critical areas and their functions by regulating use and management within these areas and on adjacent lands.

(7) Maintain and protect both acreage and critical ecological functions of regulated wetlands in Clallam County through general protection standards, enhancement, restoration and creation.

(8) Preserve, protect, manage, or regulate critical areas that have either a direct or indirect effect on conserving fish, wildlife, other natural resources, and values.

(9) Protect water quality by controlling erosion, by providing guidance in the siting of land uses and activities to prevent or reduce the of release chemical or bacterial pollutants into waters of the State, and by maintaining stream flows and habitat quality for fish and marine shellfish.

(10) Conserve drainage features that function together or independently to collect, store, purify, discharge and/or convey waters of the State.

(11) Maintain ground water recharge and prevent the contamination of ground water resources to ensure water quality and quantity for public and private uses and critical area functions.

(12) Protect areas with potential for marine aquaculture activities from degradation by other types of uses.

(13) Protect and conserve unique, fragile, irreplaceable and valuable elements of the natural environment for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

(14) Reduce cumulative adverse environmental impacts to water availability, water quality, wetlands, aquatic and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas and geologically hazardous areas.

(15) Implement the policies of the Environmental Policy Act, Chapter 43.21C RCW; the Growth Management Act, Chapter 36.70A RCW; the Floodplain Management Code, Chapter 86.16 RCW; the Water Pollution Control Act, Chapter 90.47 RCW; the Groundwater Quality Standards, Chapter 173-200 WAC; the Clallam County Shoreline Master Program and State Shoreline Management Act, Chapter 90.58 RCW; the Clallam County Charter; the Clallam County Code and all adopted County functional and community plans.

(16) Provide the regulatory framework to supplement adopted policies in the Clallam County Comprehensive Plan, CCC Title 31, and the Zoning Code, CCC Title 33, which set forth land use designations, open space preservation, natural resource protection, wildlife migration corridor preservation, fish and wildlife habitat protection, wetland protection and, overall, protects the natural features in Clallam County by promoting wise use of lands within Clallam County.

(17) Maintain and enhance local control of resources in Clallam County in order to effectively respond to the challenges of Federal Endangered Species Act listings, Growth Management Act requirements and other mandates through wise land stewardship, protection of critical areas and increased knowledge of natural systems and the functions that they perform.

(18) Promote harmonious co-existence between the ongoing use of pre-existing development sites in critical areas, and the functional protection of those critical areas.

(19) Private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation having been made. The property rights of landowners shall be protected from arbitrary and discriminatory actions.

(20) Promote the restoration of degraded critical areas and their buffers in order to regain lost ecological functions and values and improve the economic health and stability of Clallam County.