(1) When managing floodplains, the County should balance the need to protect life and property with the need to maintain fish and wildlife habitat and other floodplain functions.

(2) The need for new flood control structures should be avoided by limiting new development and new uses, including subdivision of land, in flood-prone areas.

(3) Structures built within floodplains should be designed in accordance with the frequently flooded areas regulations in CCC 35.35.150 and 35.35.160 and should not obstruct the passage of water, inadvertently cause a stream to be diverted to a new channel, or otherwise adversely impact fish habitat or floodplain functions.

(4) Information about flood hazards should be made readily available to existing and prospective shoreline property owners so they are informed about the risks of living in areas that are prone to flooding, erosion, channel migration, and other hazards.

(5) New flood control structures should be permitted only where there is a documented need to protect an existing structure and where appropriate measures are implemented to minimize impacts on floodplain functions including fish and wildlife.

(6) New flood control structures should not unduly interfere with navigation, water-related recreation or public access to public waters.

(7) When evaluating the need for flood control structures such as levees and/or dams, opportunities to remove or relocate existing developments and structures out of flood-prone areas should be pursued as a first course of action. Alternative measures, such as overflow corridors and setback levees, that may have less adverse impact on shoreline and floodplain functions and processes should be implemented before structural flood control measures are approved.

(8) Nonregulatory methods to protect, enhance, and/or restore shoreline ecological functions and processes should be encouraged as an alternative to flood control structures. Nonregulatory methods may include acquisition of land or easements; education; voluntary protection and enhancement projects; and incentive programs.

(9) Long-term, comprehensive flood hazard management plans should be developed and implemented in cooperation with other applicable agencies and persons to prevent flood damage, maintain the natural hydraulic capacity of streams and floodplains, and conserve or restore valuable, limited resources such as fish, water, soil, and recreation and scenic areas.

(10) Planning and design of flood control structures within the Puget Sound basin should be consistent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) recommendations in the 2008 Biological Opinion on the Federal Flood Insurance Program, or any successor thereto and should incorporate elements from adopted watershed management plans, restoration plans and/or surface water management plans.

(11) Voluntary relocation of existing developments that are located in flood-prone or other hazardous areas is encouraged when doing so will substantially reduce human health and safety hazards and improve ecological conditions.

(12) The County should review proposals for floodplain management plans and food control structures to determine if any such development would thwart or substantially compromise planned restoration actions. The County should work with the proponents of each project to resolve likely conflicts between the proposed activities and planned restoration.