SULTAN'S WETLANDS
Are the wetlands drying up due to Global Warming?

Or are they receiving aggressive encouragement from their owners?

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Critical Areas Ordinance

Although many long-time Sultan residents purchased land here because it was then cheap swampland, those same wetlands have now become "Liquid Gold," as Big City developers gobble it up, digest it, then churn out corporate profits on the flipside in the form of new homes. (And the City has benefited as well, as the only thing keeping them afloat financially has been the short-term funding they receive from short-term building fees, for which they've been paying long-term debt and "fixed" expenses.

But because of those pesky and irksome environmental regulations which curtail an owner's square-foot profits, many local landowners have had the foresight to "groom" their wetlands in anticipation of selling. That is, they systematically destroy wetlands on their property so it will fetch a higher per-acre price. Lack of wetland areas also assist the future developer during the environmental studies phase of a subdivision's review and approval.

Below are some photos depicting, better than any words can tell, successful wetland "grooming"/elimination methods used previously by Sultan landowners.

Favorite "Wetland Cultivation" methods:

• Plowing & grading, followed by a liberal application of herbicides: Not recommended; a highly-visible, in-your-face method that simply invites attention from nosey nuisance environmentalists and may also result an extremely rare stop work order. Remember: the art is in eliminating those pesky wetlands is doing it with finesse: choose the subtle, sneaky approach rather than -- quite literally -- using a bulldozer.
• Draining, then herbicidal application: An infinitely preferable method to plowing and grading, as it can be done over a long period of time which will attract less attention, especially if done during off-hours or during the day when most folks are at work. But if your problem wetland is located on a thoroughfare, beware!
• Draining the wetland: This method is ideal, especially if you've already received your plat approval. However, the smart landowner will still employ stealth to avoid unwanted attention of some busybody whacko environmentalist who might blow the whistle.
• Filling: This method represents the very best in Sultan "recycling," and is a kinder, gentler solution to wetland elimination and containment.
• Grooming: This is the creme de la creme of wetland removal, if done correctly: the end result is achieved in a moderate, slow manner and improves your neighbors' views tremendously. At least, until those 150 new homes sprout up -- as if by magic -- right out of the grass.)

PLOWING & GRADING FIRST (then a liberal application of strong herbicides):

Anderson Farms (Below) on Sultan Basin Road (both sides of 138th SE/Bryant Road). The owner/developer first plowed under the wetland vegetation, then used a health dose of herbicide (which was strong enough to reportedly make children then living in the nearby house, quick sick). This occurred in 2000. It stopped the subdivision application dead in its tracks, due to a stop work order and a punitive Hearing Examiner recommendation/decision. (Timeframe, 2000)

DRAINING, THEN HERBICIDES (below): This wetland -- on the southern border of Wisteria Drive and just a few feet north of Winters Creek, this wetland extends from 4th Street westward to -- ironically -- the "NGPA" sign erected on a teensy strip of land which is part of the Willow Run development's sensitive area mitigation (NGPA stands for "Native Growth Protection Area," if you can believe that). Reports by nearby residents stated that this fairly large parcel was first drained, then subjected to herbicidal treatment. (Timeframe: Oct., 2006)

To our knowledge, no known subdivision application yet exists for this land, although a short-plat application was filed a year or two ago by the property owners. According to the Snohomish County Assessor's website tax info, they live in Texas.

DRAINING ONLY:

Occasionally wetland issues are "resolved" by the developer following purchase, as was the case with Denali Ridge on the Sultan Basin Road. This by-now iconic "swimming pool/Ice-skating rink" is well-known to Sultan Basin Road residents due to the rectangular-shaped excavation in the middle of the plat which filled with rainwater, then froze during the winter of 2005. We learned later that the project attracted a stop work order due to illegal draining of the wetland area east/southward onto another's property. (Never underestimate the inventiveness of Sultan landowners!)

FILLING:

A time-honored Sultan method of "recyling" dirt from excavation projects; more destination sites exist than we have room for here. However, I will share a couple of photos of some of the dirt in transit I captured one summer.

GROOMING (Sultan Basin Road & 132nd):

This involves systematic working of the wetland area until it resembles a VERY large lawn/green space. This method is less-harsh to the environment, certainly, than other methods, but still amounts to preparation for sale/development and continues to destroy habitat and the natural environment. (Continued development of Sultan's basin wetland areas will also result in worse flooding, especially without proper stormwater controls and maintenance, continued degradation of our quality of life, and the continued march to elimination of East Snohomish County's great beauty. Continued build-out and elimination of green spaces also increase temperatures during the summer.