Title
AN ORDINANCE relating to duties of divisions of the department of natural resources and parks; and amending Ordinance 11955, Section 9, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.16.045.
Body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Ordinance 11955, Section 9, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.16.045 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A. The department of natural resources and parks is responsible to manage and be fiscally accountable for the wastewater treatment division, water and land resources division, solid waste division and parks and recreation division. The department shall manage, design, develop, operate, maintain and enhance the geographic information systems for the county and other contracting agencies. The department shall administer and implement the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, federal Endangered Species Act and other federal and state laws and regulations related to those requirements. The department shall perform the metropolitan water pollution abatement function referred to in this section as "the water quality program," as set forth in chapter 35.58 RCW, K.C.C. Title 28 and other federal and state laws and regulations applicable to that function, although financial planning for and administration of the water quality program shall be conducted consistent with financial policies approved by the council. The department shall coordinate the county's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") municipal stormwater permit program. The department shall provide the support to the county's participation in the regional water supply planning process including the development of reclaimed water and the review of local utility district plans for conformance with county plans and policies and shall participate in the process of preparing coordinated water system plans to ensure conformance with county plans and policies. The department shall provide for the active and passive recreational needs of the region, consistent with the mission of the parks and recreation division described in subsection E.1 of this section. The department shall designate as natural resource lands those county-owned lands that serve important natural resource functions, including, but not limited to, benefiting and protecting natural drainage systems, drainage basins, flood control systems, ecosystems, water quality, ground water, fisheries and wildlife habitat and other natural resource purposes. The department shall act to ensure integration of environmental programs across utility and resource functions and to balance stewardship with economic development issues. To ensure integration and balanced stewardship through the director's office the department shall oversee strategic planning using staff resources budgeted in the department's divisions. Strategic planning may include, but not be limited to: integration of land and water resource protection; coordination of groundwater, water reuse and water supply plan approval; development of new funding approaches for resource protection; establishment of new partnerships with businesses, community organizations and citizens; and better coordination of sewerage and flood control facilities to prevent water quality degradation.
B.1. The duties of the waste water treatment division shall include the following:
a. administering the functions and programs related to the operation, maintenance, construction, repair, replacement and improvement of the metropolitan sewerage system and its financing;
b. administering the county's sewage disposal agreements with cities and special districts;
c. providing planning for the water quality capital program;
d. providing design, engineering and construction management services related to the water quality capital programs including new facilities development and maintenance of the existing infrastructure;
e. providing support services such as project management, environmental review, permit and right-of-way acquisitions, scheduling and project control; and
f. regulating industrial discharges into the metropolitan sewerage system.
2. The council may assign responsibility for services ancillary to and in support of the operation and maintenance of the metropolitan water pollution abatement system under chapter 35.58 RCW, including, but not limited to, human resources, accounting, budgeting, finance, engineering, fleet administration, maintenance, laboratory, monitoring, inspection and planning, as it determines appropriate.
C. The duties of the water and land resources division shall include the following:
1. Proposing or updating, or both, and implementing adopted policies, plans and programs relating to water and land resources, open space and other natural resources that protect fisheries, natural resources, water quality and ground water and that solve and prevent drainage problems;
2. Responding to major river floods and addressing drainage problems in unincorporated portions of the county as provided in K.C.C. Title 9, the Surface Water Management Program, in K.C.C. chapter 20.12, the King County Flood Hazard Reduction Plan Policies and other policies established by the council;
3. Within available resources, maintaining major river channels, and surface and storm drainage systems and lands to minimize flood hazards and protect fisheries resources, drainage systems and lands, and water quality;
4. Providing coordination and technical assistance within the county and other governments to assist in setting and implementing priorities for water and land resources, including sample collection, laboratory services, monitoring, analysis and other activities to protect, enhance and evaluate the quality of land, habitat and water resources in the county;
5. Planning the surface water management capital program, providing design, engineering and construction management services related to the surface water management capital program including new facilities development and maintenance of the existing infrastructure and providing support services such as project management, environmental review, permit and right-of-way acquisitions, scheduling and project control;
6. Preparing standards for storm water management facilities that are constructed as part of land development;
7. Providing technical assistance and education to businesses and the general public to encourage environmental stewardship;
8. Implementing the county park, open space, trails, agriculture, forestry, and other natural resources acquisition programs, including planning, site selection, financing, acquisition, project budget management and purchasing fee and less than fee interests;
9. Monitoring and protecting the county's ((real property and)) development rights interests ((acquired through the conservation futures and other open space and natural resource programs ensuring to the greatest extent practicable that subsequent county land use policies remain compatible with the acquired interests)) related to agricultural lands;
10. ((Preparing and implementing the)) Consulting in the preparation of management plans for protection and use of the natural resource values of county owned lands, including natural resource lands, dedicated and deeded open space lands and lands acquired by the county as a condition of land development approval, and ((determining)) consulting with the parks and recreation division the appropriate means to execute such management plans;
Administering, operating and maintaining those lands designated as natural resource lands, using any work forces as appropriate;
12.)) The office of rural and resource lands shall be a distinct functional unit of the division reporting directly to the water and land resources division manager. The office shall plan, manage and be responsible for administering the county's rural and resource lands programs including, but not limited to, agriculture, farmlands preservation, current use taxation programs, forestry, noxious weeds, terrestrial wildlife and habitat, rural economic development, and encouraging environmental stewardship; and
12. Planning, prioritizing, seeking funding for, designing and implementing restoration projects on natural resource lands, dedicated and deeded open space lands and lands acquired by the county as a condition of land development approval in coordination with the parks and recreation division.
D. The duties of the solid waste division shall include the following:
1. Managing and operating the county's comprehensive solid waste program on a self-supporting basis;
2. Administering the county's solid waste interlocal agreements with cities and towns;
3. Diverting as much material as possible from disposal in a manner that reduces the overall costs of solid waste management to county residents and businesses, conserves resources, protects the environment and strengthens the county's economy;
4. Managing and being accountable for all transfer station operations and landfills, as well as the transportation of waste between county facilities;
5. Procuring and maintaining all capital and operating equipment specific to the solid waste function;
6. Providing planning, design, engineering and construction management services related to the solid waste capital program including new facilities development and maintenance of existing infrastructure;
7. Providing support services such as project management, environmental review, permit acquisitions, scheduling and project control; and
8. Actively pursuing all revenue sources in an effort to maintain the lowest possible rate structure for the benefit of county residents.
E. The duties of the parks and recreation division shall include the following:
1. Carrying out the county's parks and recreation division mission, which is to provide regional trails, regional passive parks, regional resource and ecological lands and regional active recreation facilities, rural parks and local unincorporated area parks within the urban growth boundary until annexed, by employing entrepreneurial strategies that raise revenues to support park operations and facilitating agreements with other jurisdictions and entities to provide for recreational services and other activities;
2. Proposing and implementing adopted policies, plans and programs related to the provision of regional and rural parks and recreation facilities and programs and natural resource lands in King County and local parks in the unincorporated portion of King County within the urban growth boundary until those areas are annexed;
3. Within available resources, managing, operating and maintaining or facilitating the management, operation and maintenance of the county parks and recreation facilities;
4. Within available resources, maintaining, restoring or facilitating the maintenance of regional resource and ecological lands ((at the direction of)) in consultation with the water and land resources division;
5. Monitoring and protecting the county's real property and development rights interests acquired through the conservation futures and other open space and natural resource programs, with the exception of development rights on agricultural lands, ensuring to the greatest extent practicable that subsequent county land use policies remain compatible with the acquired interests;
6. Preparing and implementing in consultation with the water and land resources division the management plans for protection and use of the natural resource values of county owned lands, including natural resource lands, dedicated and deeded open space lands and lands acquired by the county as a condition of land development approval, and determining appropriate means to execute those management plans;
7. Administering, operating and maintaining those lands designated as natural resource lands, using any work forces as appropriate;
8. Developing and maintaining an operational master plan and develop and monitoring a capital improvement plan as defined in K.C.C. chapter 4.04;
((6.)) 9. Within available resources, developing and facilitating agreements for the development of specific active park and recreation facilities;
((7.)) 10. Coordinating with other departments and divisions as appropriate in the preparation of grant applications for park and open space acquisition, development and operations;
((8.)) 11. Developing, managing, or facilitating agreements for the provision of recreational programs;
((9.)) 12. Facilitating programs that promote the safe enjoyment of county-owned swimming pools and guarded swim beaches; and
((10.)) 13. Planning, organizing, scheduling and administering the annual King County fair((, off-season programs and use of the county fairgrounds with guidance from the King County fairgrounds board)).