Development in the area is very limited. The Howard Hanson Dam and Reservoir occupy the westernmost portion of the area. The dam was completed in 1962 and is used to control flooding in the Green River Valley (Stein 2001). Upriver from the reservoir, the only developments are 45 miles of BNSF rail track, a power line transmission corridor and a network of US Forest Service roads. The roads provide access for timber harvesting by the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest. No tribal reservations exist in the area; however, 13 tribes have potential interests in the area due to their usual and accustomed fishing places.

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As with most of Western Washington, the rainy season is considered to begin in October and end in May or June. At this elevation in the Cascades (1000 to 3900 feet above sea level), this precipitation is more likely to accumulate as snow. The greatest flows in this upper portion of the watershed occur in late spring, as the snow begins to melt, and in late fall or early winter, when heavy rains begin but the temperatures have not yet dropped below freezing.

The planning area almost fully resides within the boundaries of Water Resource Inventory Area Green-Duwamish (WRIA 9), with a small portion overlapping Cedar-Sammamish (WRIA 8).

Green-Duwamish (WRIA 9): The Green-Duwamish watershed is situated in southern Puget Sound and comprises most of southern King county, including south Seattle and its adjacent suburban areas of Kent, Des Moines, Covington and other cities. On its west side it is bounded by Puget Sound and its east side includes portions of the Cascade Mountain range. This watershed includes only one major river, the Duwamish-Green River which originates in the Cascade Mountains. The Green River is the source for much of the drinking water for the Tacoma area and includes the Howard A. Hanson Dam which is used for flood control and reservoir purposes. Average precipitation ranges from 30-35 inches per year in the coastal areas to 70 inches in the mountains. Most of this precipitation arrives during the winter months when water demands are the lowest, and only a fraction becomes available for human and economic uses. During the summer, the snowpack is gone; there is little rain so low stream flows are dependent on groundwater inflow (WA Dept. of Ecology).

Cedar-Sammamish (WRIA 8): The Cedar Sammamish Watershed is situated in southern Puget Sound and comprises the northwestern and part of central King county, including Seattle and its adjacent suburban areas. On its west side it is bounded by Puget Sound and its east side includes portions of the Cascade Mountain range. Average precipitation is 30-35 inches per year (WA Dept. of Ecology).

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Prevailing winds in the Stampede Pass area are generally towards the west-southwest in April through October, and to the east in November through March (WRCC 2002). Wind speed consistently averages 7 to 8 miles per hour year-round (WRCC 2006).

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Rail Transportation and Facilities: Rail companies transport oil via manifest trains in this area. Manifest trains include: up to four locomotives, a mix of non-oil merchandise cars, and one or more 714-barrel (29,998 gallon) capacity USDOT-approved tank cars carrying refined oil products, such as diesel, lubrication oil, or gasoline. These trains may include emptied tank cars, each with residual quantities of up to 1,800 gallons of crude oil or petroleum products. Every train locomotive typically holds a few hundred gallons of engine lubrication oil, plus saddle tanks that each have an approximate capacity of 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Manifest trains may also transport biological oils and non-petroleum chemicals.

BNSF owns the commercial rail track in this planning area, although other rail companies may operate trains on BNSF tracks. The BNSF Stampede Subdivision runs parallel to either the Green River or Sunday Creek throughout the planning area. BNSF maintains a refueling station in Lester, at about river mile 80, where three aboveground tanks have a combined storage capacity of 2,550 gallons of diesel (WA Dept. of Ecology).

Other Spill Risks: Other potential oil spill risks in the area include fuel storage areas (including waste oil storage), on-shore or nearshore activities where heavy equipment is being operated or stored, and the migration of spilled oil through soil on lands adjacent to the river or its tributary streams.

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This section is purposely broad in scope and should not be considered comprehensive. Some of the sensitive resources described in this section cannot be addressed in Section 4 (Response Strategies and Priorities) because it’s not possible to conduct effective response activities in these locations. Additional information from private organizations or federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies should also be sought during spills.

This material is presented with enough detail to give general information about the area during the first phase of a spill response. During an actual incident, more information about resources at risk will be available from the Environmental Unit in the Planning Section.

The information provided in this chapter can be used in:

• Assisting the Environmental Unit (EU) and Operations Sections in developing additional response strategies beyond those found in Section 4.
• Providing resource-at-risk “context” to responders, clean-up workers, and others during the initial phase of a spill response in the GRP area.
• Briefing responders and incident command staff that may be unfamiliar with sensitive resource concerns in the GRP area.
• Providing background information for personnel involved in media presentations and public outreach during a spill incident.

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This area contains a wide variety of aquatic, riparian, and upland habitats. These habitats support many of Washington’s anadromous salmonid species as well as a complex diversity of other wildlife including mammals, birds, and amphibians. Due to their life histories and/or behaviors, some of these species are unlikely to be directly oiled during a spill incident but may be disturbed by other operations such as cleanup, reconnaissance, or fire suppression activities. Some of the bird species are resident throughout the year, but many others seasonally migrate outside the basin. A number of the species found in this area are classified as threatened or endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act or Washington State guidelines.

Classification types are listed below, with the abbreviation of each type provided in the brackets (to the right of the classification):

• Federal Endangered (FE)
• Federal Threatened (FT)
• State Endangered (SE)
• State Threatened (ST)
• State Sensitive (SS)

Federal and State listed, candidate, and species of concern that may occur within this area, at some time of year, include:

Birds:

• Common loon [SS]
• Marbled murrelet [FT/SE]
• Northern spotted owl [FT/SE]*
• Yellow-billed cuckoo [FT]*

Mammals:

• Canada lynx [FT/SE]*
• Gray Wolf [FE/SE]*

Fish:

• Bull trout [FT/SC]
• Chinook salmon [FT/SC]
• Steelhead [FT]

* Unlikely to be directly oiled during a spill incident.

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• Wetlands in this region range from freshwater emergent, freshwater forested, freshwater ponds and lakes. All wetland types support a diverse array of bird, insect and fish and wildlife species.

Fish:

• Salmonid species are present throughout this region, with spawning occurring throughout the area’s rivers and streams. Juvenile salmonids use these streams for feeding, rearing, and as migration corridors.

Wildlife:

• Sensitive nesting species in the region include raptors (bald eagles and osprey), passerine birds, and waterfowl (harlequin ducks and common loons).
• Elk concentrations found throughout riparian areas throughout winters.

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During a spill response, after the Unified Command is established, information related to specific archeological concerns will be coordinated through the Environmental Unit. In order to ensure that tactical response strategies do not inadvertently harm culturally sensitive sites, WDAHP should be consulted before disturbing any soil or sediment during a response action. WDAHP and/or the Tribal governments may assign a person, or provide a list of professional archeologists that can be contracted, to monitor response activities and cleanup operations for the protection of cultural resources. Due to the sensitive nature of such information, details regarding the location and type of cultural resources present are not included in this document.

Table 6-1: UGR-GRP Cultural Resource Contacts

Discovery of Human Skeletal Remains

Any human remains, burial sites, or burial-related materials that are discovered during a spill response must be treated with respect at all times (photographing human remains is prohibited to all except the appropriate authorities). Refer to Section 9403 of the Northwest Area Contingency Plan for National Historic Preservation Act Compliance Guidelines during an emergency response.

Procedures for the Discovery of Cultural Resources

If any person monitoring work activities or involved in spill response believes that they have encountered cultural resources, all work must be stopped immediately and the Incident Commander and Cultural Resource Specialist notified. The area of work stoppage must be adequate to provide for the security, protection, and integrity of the material or artifact(s) discovered.

Prehistoric Cultural Resources (May include, but are not limited to, any of the following items):

• Lithic debitage (stone chips and other tool-making byproducts)
• Flaked or ground stone tools
• Exotic rock, minerals, or quarries
• Concentrations of organically stained sediments, charcoal, or ash
• Fire-modified rock
• Rock alignments or rock structures
• Bone (burned, modified, or in association with other bone, artifacts, or features)
• Shell or shell fragments
• Petroglyphs and pictographs
• Fish weirs, fish traps, and prehistoric water craft
• Culturally modified trees
• Physical locations or features (traditional cultural properties)

Historic cultural material (May include any of the following items over 50 years old):

• Bottles, or other glass
• Cans
• Ceramics
• Milled wood, brick, concrete, metal, or other building material
• Trash dumps
• Homesteads, building remains
• Logging, mining, or railroad features
• Piers, wharves, docks, bridges, dams, or shipwrecks

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Implementation of Flight Restriction Zones will take place within the Air Operations Branch (Operations Section) after a Unified Command is formed. The Planning Section’s Environmental Unit will work with the Air Ops Branch Director to resolve any potential conflicts with flight activities that are essential to the spill response effort. Typically, the area within a 1,500-foot radius and below 1,000 feet in altitude is restricted to flying in areas that have been identified as sensitive; however, some areas have more restrictive zones. In addition to restrictions associated with wildlife, Tribal authorities may also request notification when overflights are likely to affect culturally sensitive areas within reservations. See Section 9301.3.2 and Section 9301.3.3 of the Northwest Area Contingency Plan for more information on the use of aircraft and helicopters in open water and shoreline responses.

Wildlife Deterrence: After a Unified Command is formed, the Wildlife Branch (Operations Section), in consultation with the appropriate trustee agencies and the Environmental Unit, will evaluate wildlife deterrent options for the purpose of keeping un-oiled birds away from oil during a spill. The “Bird Deterrence Unit” in the Wildlife Branch would participate in operations. Deterrence options might include the use of acoustic or visual deterrent devices, boats, aircraft or other situation-appropriate tools. For more information see the Northwest Wildlife Response Plan (NWACP Section 9310) and Northwest Area Wildlife Deterrence Resources (NWACP Section 9311).

Oiled Wildlife: Attempting to capture oiled wildlife can be hazardous to both the animal and the person attempting the capture. Response personnel should not approach or attempt to recover oiled wildlife. Responders should report their observations of oiled wildlife to the Wildlife Branch so appropriate action can be taken. Information provided should include the location, date, and time of the sighting, and the estimated number and kind of animals observed. Early on in the response, before a Unified Command is established, oiled wildlife sightings should be reported to Washington Emergency Management Division. For more information see the Northwest Wildlife Response Plan (NWACP Section 9310).

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