› How much does Mitigation cost?

When dealing with mitigation, there are at least five areas of expense that you need to be aware of. The first expense usually is completing a Wetland Delineation Report if one has not already been done. See Wetlands Cost & Timeframe for estimates on this.

   
The second is the amount needed for a consultant to create a Mitigation Plan. The larger the area of restoration or enhancement, the higher this cost will be. From Pacific Willow Consulting, Inc., for small impacts associated with single family properties, this cost may range from $400 to $600, for moderate sized projects, the cost may range from $600 to $1200, and for larger scale mitigations, the cost may range from $1200 to $2000+.

  
The third area of expense is the review fees for the city or county of jurisdiction that cover the Mitigation Plan and any associated applications such as a Variance or Reasonable Use Exception. These can be significant and are usually outlined on a schedule of fees that can be obtained either on line, by fax or mail.

  
The fourth cost is establishing a three year bond or letter of credit with the city or county of jurisdiction. The amount of this bond is based on the estimated cost of the recommended mitigation measures outlined in the Mitigation Plan. A multiplier of more than one (1.25 in Pierce County) may be used to calculate its value. This bond will be released back to you after three years of required monitoring and maintenance have been completed.

  
The fifth cost is actually paying for the mitigation requirements once you have received project approval. This may involve hiring a company like Pacific Willow Consulting, Inc. to conduct the work or performing it yourself. Doing the work yourself will save on the cost of labor and overhead but will require an investment of your time.

 
Other costs may include penalties or fines for unpermitted work or disturbances within Critical Areas. There also may be other documents that need to accompany a Mitigation Plan such as a Hydraulic Permit Application (JARPA), Environmental Checklist (SEPA) or a Fish & Wildlife Habitat Assessment which each have significant review fees.

  
Mitigation measures typically include the need to plant native vegetation. Plant varieties and price lists from local suppliers can be found on their web sites, for example www.soundnativeplants.com located in Olympia or www.burntridgenursery.com located in Onalaska.

› How long does Mitigation take?

For a Mitigation Plan to be completed, depending on current work load, it may take approximately 3 to 6 weeks. Some field work most likely will be involved to assess and map the area of impact and make an inventory of existing vegetation.

  
Once submitted, the review of this document may take several weeks to several months. The city or county of jurisdiction should be contacted directly to determine this.

  
Once project approval is granted and a bond provided, the mitigation work can proceed as recommended in the Mitigation Plan. Any earthwork is usually conducted in the summer or early fall. Any planting of native vegetation usually occurs in the fall or late winter. Any weeding of non-native species is often done in the spring and summer. So depending on when approval is granted it may take approximately one to one and a half years to complete the main aspects of a typical single-family mitigation project from creation of the Mitigation Plan to its installation.

  
Final completion of the mitigation project and bond release only occur after three years of monitoring, maintenance and any necessary correction to the Mitigation Plan such as replanting any vegetation that doesn't survive.

  
For more complex mitigation projects that require federal review by the US Army Corps of Engineers due to implications to wetlands and/or streams associated with navigable waters, the timeframe to obtain project review can be from 6 months to several years.