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Water On Your Land?

Know the rules before you dam, plant, rip out or let loose

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MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES Gardeners play an important role in stewardship of creeks that pass through their property, so be sure to check with local jurisdictions to learn about regulations for buffer zones around naturally wet areas.

WHO WOULD have thought that stream and pond-side plantings would be so controversial? In the past couple of years, I've written about private gardens with creeks and ponds where it seemed to me the owners had shown great sensitivity in their plantings and organic care. Yet some readers were concerned.

When are buffer zones and permits mandatory? What percentage of plantings should be natives?

I sought out the experts at Adolfson Associates, a Ballard environmental consulting firm that specializes in water resources. Their range of wetland scientists, wildlife specialists, biologists, planners, water-resource engineers, geologists and landscape architects shows how complicated these questions can become. I turned to Adolfson Associates for answers because when I asked a restoration ecologist at the University of Washington these questions, he suggested the firm as a reliable source of expertise.

Here's the thing that may surprise you: You can't fill in a boggy spot on your property, enlarge a pond, rip out a patch of blackberries along a stream or dam a creek without a permit. There are federal, state and local regulations about dredging or filling in wetlands on private property, stemming from the national Clean Water Act. And most jurisdictions call for a pretty-good-sized buffer of native plants around any wetland. This buffer ranges from 25 to more than 75 feet, depending on the type of wetland and the local jurisdiction. What can be planted, as well as what can be removed, is regulated in the buffer zone.

Teresa Vanderburg, director of natural sciences for Adolfson, assures me that there are good reasons for these regulations. Wetlands play a vital role in flood control, as well as wildlife habitat. Buffer zones protect the purpose and value of these soggy areas, which often extend in reality, and certainly in impact, far beyond property lines. For example, all too often Vanderburg sees problems with people damming streams. What might seem like an easy way to form a pond ends up creating flooding problems, and sometimes diverting a rush of water onto a neighbor's property. You always need a permit to block flowing water.

The Adolfson experts create monitoring and maintenance plans for their projects to ensure that the buffer-zone plantings survive and thrive.

Now In Bloom

Perhaps the frost isn't yet on the pumpkin, but these gourd-like fruits should be turning color by now. 'Rouge Vif d'Etampes' may be an elegant name for a Jack-o-Lantern, but these French pumpkins are so shiny and bright orange-red they live up to their fancy name. Slightly squat and flattened in shape, 'Rouge' is a mid-sized pumpkin that weighs 10 to 15 pounds, with sweet, orange flesh ideal for pumpkin pies.

ILLUSTRATED BY JULIE NOTARIANNI

Such plans call for weeding and irrigation for the first couple of years until the native plants become established enough to fend for themselves. Fertilizer is banned anywhere within 75 feet of creeks to prevent runoff that would damage water quality. These are good rules of thumb for most new plantings, certainly those anywhere near water.

If you want to rid a wetland or stream bank of nasty invasives such as English ivy, Japanese knotweed or blackberries, call before you rip. In King County, such environmentally sound activities are encouraged, so the permitting process is pretty automatic. King County also offers advice on replanting with natives. Take a look at their easy-to-use Web page to see color photos and descriptions of recommended native plants, cultural tips and landscaping plans using native plants. The site even helps users to come up with customized plant lists to suit specific garden conditions (http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/pi/go-native/).

Turns out that when it comes to wetlands, gardening involves more than thoughtful choices and organic methods. Good stewardship means calling up your local jurisdiction to figure out what regulations apply to your specific conditions. Perhaps most of all it means remembering that while wetlands may be on your property, they flow far beyond the borders of any single piece of land.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer. Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net.