Habitat Conservation Plan

About the Project

Done EditingThe Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is a 30-year plan to mitigate impacts from Pierce County Planning and Public Works' flood risk reduction maintenance and operations activities. The HCP is one of the documents needed to obtain an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Prepared under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the plan is designed to protect and contribute to the restoration of habitat in Pierce County for the covered species that may be affected by the maintenance and operation of the county's flood risk reduction system. Having the ITP would reduce long-term permitting time and costs for Pierce County, especially along county-owned levees and revetments. This would allow for faster responses to needs and issues along the river.

The HCP describes anticipated effects of proposed maintenance and operations activities along rivers and streams and how county staff and contractors will minimize or mitigate the impacts to habitat and species. Those activities could include: removing vegetation along levees for inspection and maintenance, flood fighting or other emergency work, culvert maintenance and other tasks. 

The HCP is not a species recovery plan, but it does contribute to the recovery of the species through minimization and mitigation of impacts. The HCP was recommended in the county's Rivers Flood Hazard Management Plan.

The ITP allows Pierce County to conduct routine maintenance activities along segments of the Puyallup, White, Carbon and Nisqually rivers, that might result in incidental takes, without violating the ESA. If the HCP and ITP are approved, these takes would not require further consultation with NOAA or USFW for the covered activities and ensures the county's maintenance and operations activities are in compliance with ESA.