Jefferson County has been ordered by a state hearings board to refine its plan to protect wells from saltwater intrusion.
The county was found to not have properly developed protection standards for critical aquifer recharge areas, formed a “scientifically defensible” method of evaluating the effectiveness of county regulations and failed to fully comply with the goals and policies of the county comprehensive plan, according to the order.
County Administrator David Goldsmith said Tuesday the order essentially directs the county to “fill in some of the blanks” in its unified development code.
The Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board “had issues around some vague language,” he said.
County commissioners will discuss the order next Tuesday and the steps needed to comply, Goldsmith said.
That meeting will take in the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St.
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The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News Jefferson County edition. Click on SUBSCRIBE, above, to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.