(a) [Policy No. 1] Best conventional technology shall be used to prevent or treat the environmental impacts of conventional pollutants.

(b) [Policy No. 2] Prevention is less expensive than cleaning up pollution later. Clallam County should consider the potential impacts and costs of treatment or remediation for environmental degradation resulting from land use practices, before such practices are allowed.

(c) [Policy No. 3] The critical areas ordinance shall be utilized by Clallam County to help achieve environmental objectives, prevent environmental degradation, and to manage land use activities within the natural and intrinsic constraints of the landscape. The interim critical areas ordinance which classifies, designates and protects critical areas shall be adopted as the County’s final critical areas ordinance. The ordinance shall be amended as necessary to implement watershed or special area studies and to maintain consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. Practices under this chapter should be evaluated periodically to ensure regulatory effectiveness in achieving stated objectives and fair notification to affected property owners.

(d) [Policy No. 4] Education and incentives should be provided to citizens to ensure their understanding of the principles behind regulatory protection and to increase support for protection outside of the regulatory framework.

(e) [Policy No. 5] Clallam County shall work with other agencies, tribes and individuals to prevent additional listing of fish, wildlife and plants under the Endangered Species Act through pro-active (rather than reactive) planning and implementation of proper land use practices.

(a) [Policy No. 6] Special geographic regions in and across the County may have management needs with respect to stream corridors, aquifer recharge areas, and watersheds and open spaces, of a more particular nature than the goals and policies within the generalized Comprehensive Plan. Locally applicable environmental and open space policies should be developed through regional plans, consistent with the overall goals of the County-wide Comprehensive Plan.

(b) [Policy No. 7] Regional plans shall address, at a minimum, the issues described in the Comprehensive Plan, and should take into account local conditions, development patterns, and community values. Existing watershed and water resource management policies should be incorporated into regional plans where consistent, and be revised to ensure consistency with regional and County-wide comprehensive plans.

(c) [Policy No. 8] Public involvement is recognized as an essential component of developing regional plans, and planning should incorporate a range of opportunities for such involvement so as to promote community ownership of plans and stewardship during implementation.

(a) [Policy No. 10] The close relationship between surface and groundwater should be recognized, and protection of the surface-groundwater interface must be ensured. Clallam County should develop performance standards and regulate activities which can adversely impact water quality or quantity in aquifers, surface waters, and watersheds.

(b) [Policy No. 11] Clallam County has a responsibility to protect the quality of groundwater used for domestic water supplies. Water provision and waste disposal should be provided by the most efficient method available which does not jeopardize existing resources.

(c) [Policy No. 12] To protect quality and quantity of essential aquifers for current and future needs, Clallam County should encourage water conservation measures for all land uses; support water conservation measures and educate residents on methods to conserve water; and promote the application and implementation of water-conserving landscaping plans. Clallam County should undertake further studies of the groundwater regime of the County so that the factors influencing the quantity, quality and flow patterns of groundwater are more precisely known.

(a) [Policy No. 13] Municipal and residential water withdrawals should be directed to locations and depths so as to minimize the risk of hydraulic continuity, or to where the water withdrawal will not cause impacts on instream flow requirements for fish.

(b) [Policy No. 14] Water should be used from the hydrologic unit from which it is derived, and water resources should be kept within the region.

(c) [Policy No. 15] Conservation and efficiency strategies for water resources should be developed and implemented region-wide to provide the most efficient use of all water resources.

(a) [Policy No. 16] Clallam County should work to achieve alternatives for sewage treatment plant discharges to marine waters.

(b) [Policy No. 17] Clallam County shall preserve the scenic, aesthetic and ecological qualities of the marine shorelines of Clallam County, in harmony with those uses which are deemed essential to the life of its citizens. Clallam County shall implement marine resource goals through the Clallam County Shoreline Master Program and/or critical areas ordinance, as now or hereafter amended.

(a) [Policy No. 18] Land use practices should protect and enhance habitat corridors, diversity and richness, and ensure protection of wildlife corridors and habitat for threatened and endangered species. Wildlife corridors and riparian areas should be maintained as important community infrastructure.

(b) [Policy No. 19] Clallam County should protect, maintain and enhance fish and shellfish spawning, rearing, and migration habitat, and work to ensure harvestability of fish and shellfish. Damaged and degraded habitat should be identified, prioritized and restored. Recognize the various levels of government which have a vested interest in protection, maintenance and restoration of habitat.

(c) [Policy No. 20] Clallam County shall recognize the large number of salmon and steelhead stocks that have been classified as critical or depressed. The County shall work toward prevention of these stocks from being listed as threatened and endangered through habitat restoration and land use practices which cause no further degradation to habitat needs.

(a) [Policy No. 22] Flood control should be undertaken in the context of varied uses including agricultural and residential, fish and wildlife habitat, water supply, open space, and recreation. Land use and related regulations and zoning should reflect the natural constraints of floodplains, meander zones, and riparian habitat zones. Flood control measures should reserve to the fullest extent possible opportunities for other uses, including public access.

(b) [Policy No. 23] Flood control should be undertaken in the context of an ongoing, systematic and comprehensive approach to basin management and preservation. Changes in land use should try to restore the natural character of rivers and streams whenever reasonably possible. Public understanding of the various uses and limitations associated with flood control should be improved through a variety of educational efforts. A stable, adequate, and publicly acceptable long-term source of financing should be established and maintained for comprehensive basin management.

(c) [Policy No. 24] To limit potential for infrastructure damage from major and minor flood events, low intensity land use activities including agricultural and recreational land uses in floodplain areas should be encouraged, and other land uses in these areas discouraged. The need for emergency measures should be reduced or prevented through planning, structural, and nonstructural measures.

(d) [Policy No. 25] To protect habitat from flood damage and recognize upstream and downstream effects from flood management activities, Clallam County should require best management practices for maintaining natural river channel configurations during dredging and gravel removal. Nonstructural measures are preferred over structural measures, but, when structural methods are necessary, they shall not obstruct fish passage. Structural flood control measures should preserve or enhance existing flow characteristics for fisheries, irrigation, and other river uses. Flood control activities should not result in net loss to fish and wildlife resources, but wherever possible develop or improve diversity of habitat for those resources.

(a) [Policy No. 27] Clallam County should promote a high level of air quality for maximum visibility for scenic views, elimination of pollutant transport, reduction in adverse health impacts, and minimization of noxious effects of airborne particulates.

(b) [Policy No. 28] To reduce light pollution while meeting the needs for public safety, encourage the use of reflectors and appropriate aiming on new outdoor lighting to minimize the upward scattering of light. Performance standards for commercial lighting should be developed which minimize night glare and hours of operation at the minimum level to protect property and public safety.

(c) [Policy No. 29] Noise pollution should be reduced by providing for appropriate densities in rural areas and buffers between residential and non-residential land uses in urban areas. Street trees and landscaping should be required to filter dust, reduce glare, and diffuse noise in commercial areas.

(a) [Policy No. 31] Clallam County should attempt to attract businesses which can provide local solutions to waste disposal and recycling, including those which produce and/or utilize products from recycled materials.

(b) [Policy No. 32] Treatment and disposal of biosolids should be undertaken locally to minimize transportation costs for waste disposal and to encourage the safe operation and timely maintenance of sewage disposal systems.

(c) [Policy No. 33] Education and incentive programs on solid and hazardous waste reduction, recycling, and disposal, including those for households and small businesses, should be made available. Opportunities for the collection and disposal of household, agricultural, and commercial hazardous waste should be provided.

(a) [Policy No. 34] Public access, especially access to shorelines, should be provided and managed for educational opportunities, recreational needs and resource sensitivity to human intrusion. Sites for public access should be identified and prioritized for public acquisition through public-private partnerships, dedications, conservation easements, bond issues, fee and less than fee simple purchases. Governments and jurisdictions should plan and implement public use strategies on a cooperative and comprehensive basis.

(b) [Policy No. 35] Innovative land development options, such as planned unit developments and purchase of development rights, which provide economic incentives to conserve open spaces and their aesthetic appearance, should be pursued. Clallam County should provide incentives to encourage retention of open space, such as property tax reduction, education, and technical assistance.

(c) [Policy No. 36] Open space corridors should be maintained and connected where possible between and across urban areas, urban growth areas, and rural areas. Regional subarea comprehensive plans should identify open space corridors and the function they serve (e.g., fish and wildlife habitat, connection of critical areas, trails, etc.) Transportation corridors should be planned to prevent the fragmentation of open spaces. Demand for new or expanded transportation corridors within and outside urban growth areas should be minimized to support the protection of open spaces.

(d) [Policy No. 37] Open space should be retained in a natural state where possible to protect intrinsic functions and values.

(e) [Policy No. 38] Public access sites and public open spaces should provide for nonmotorized recreation and for transportation trails for citizens of all levels of ability. Educational and interpretive activities are a desirable component of public spaces, especially where water resources are present.

(f) [Policy No. 39] Motorized transportation and recreation trails are an appropriate use of public open space, provided that motorized vehicle use can be managed to prevent pollution impacts from erosion, fuels, exhaust and noise. Motorized activities should be compatible with existing recreational uses of the site and surrounding area but not negatively impact recognized significant plant and animal communities.