Clearing and Erosion Control in Spokane County: Stormwater, Water and Bare Ground

Cleared ground can wash away in the next rain. In Spokane County, clearing that disturbs an acre or more can fall under Ecology's Construction Stormwater General Permit, and work in or near water can need a Hydraulic Project Approval.

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What erosion control means after clearing

When vegetation is removed, the soil under it is exposed. Rain and snowmelt can carry that soil into ditches, culverts, creeks and storm drains. Erosion control is the set of steps that keeps soil in place: leaving buffers of vegetation, covering bare ground, slowing runoff and keeping mud off roads.

What is required depends on size and location. Washington's Department of Ecology says its Construction Stormwater General Permit covers clearing, grading, excavating and stockpiling that disturbs one acre or more, and smaller sites that are part of a larger plan, when stormwater could run off to surface waters. Work in or near water has its own approval from the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Mulching leaves chopped material on the ground, which can help cover the soil. Piling and hauling leave bare ground. That difference is worth raising when you compare methods.

When people look into this

A clearing job will expose an acre or more of ground.
Bare ground is washing into a ditch, creek or neighbor's land.
A lot has been cleared and will sit through a wet season.
Clearing is planned close to a creek, wetland or pond.
A county or state permit asks for a stormwater plan.
A landowner wants to compare how methods leave the ground.

What the work usually looks like

Add up the acres. Count all ground the project will disturb, including staging and haul routes.
Find the water. Mark creeks, ditches, wetlands, ponds and storm drains near the work.
Ask the agencies. Ask Ecology, WDFW and the county what applies.
Plan the cover. Decide what will cover bare ground and when.
Put controls in first. Buffers and controls go in before the ground is open.
Check after storms. Controls are inspected and repaired.

How to prepare

Before work starts, it helps to settle these points:

Estimate the total acres to be disturbed, including staging and haul routes.
Mark any water or storm drain within and near the area.
Ask Ecology whether a stormwater permit applies at your size.
Ask WDFW whether any work is in or near water.
Decide how long ground will stay bare and what covers it.
Settle who plans, installs and checks the controls.
Ask whether controls are in the price or separate.
Get the scope in writing.

What affects the cost

Prices vary with the land, the equipment and the work. A Forest Service research bulletin says mastication costs vary widely with the equipment, the terrain, site conditions and operator skill. Erosion control is part of the scope, not an extra that appears later.

Disturbed acreage. More ground takes more controls.
Slope and soil. Steeper or more erodible ground needs more.
Distance to water. Work near water takes heavier controls.
Method. Mulching leaves cover, piling leaves bare ground.
Cover and seed. Straw, mulch or seed add material and time.
Permits and plans. Applications and plans take time.
Inspection and repair. Visits after storms add time.

Mulch can help, but a permit is separate

A layer of chopped material left by a mulching machine covers the soil, which is one reason some owners choose it over piling and hauling. That is a description of the method, with no promise that a particular site will hold. Steep ground, wet ground and ground close to water still need their own plan.

It also does not change whether a permit applies. Acreage, location and water decide that, so ask Ecology, WDFW and the county before work starts, and keep their answers in writing.

Local rules and sources

Stormwater permit. Ecology's Construction Stormwater General Permit covers clearing, grading, excavating and stockpiling that disturbs one acre or more of land, and smaller sites that are part of a larger plan that will ultimately disturb an acre or more, when stormwater could run off to surface waters or into a storm system that drains to them. The acreage counts the whole project, including off-site staging yards, borrow areas and haul roads. Ecology can also require coverage at a site of any size that it finds to be a significant source of pollution.

Work in or near water. Washington law requires a Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) from the Department of Fish and Wildlife before work in or near state waters that will use, divert, obstruct or change the natural flow or bed of fresh or salt water, including work above the ordinary high-water line. WDFW lists stream bank protection and bulkheads, culverts, pond construction, dredging and utility crossings among the work that needs one. A person who is unsure can request a preapplication determination, and WDFW must answer in writing within 21 calendar days (RCW 77.55.400). Working without an HPA can bring a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation.

Clearing rules. Under Washington's Forest Practices Act, clearing forestland that is being converted to another use is a Class IV forest practice, which needs an application approved by DNR unless a local government regulates it instead (RCW 76.09.050). Spokane County may also have clearing or grading rules. Contact DNR and Spokane County before work starts.

Registration. In Washington, search the company on the Department of Labor & Industries “Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business” page. Clearing and tree work are contractor specialties at L&I, but which one covers mulching isn't spelled out, so confirm which specialty the company is registered under.

Reasons to trust this page

Most rules on this page name their public source, such as a Washington statute or a DNR page.
Cost factors are explained in plain terms, and the only price figure is a general range from a third-party directory, with no quote behind it.
The email address is shown at the top of every page, and the Privacy page says what a quote request collects.

Common questions

Does clearing land need a stormwater permit in Washington?

It can. Ecology says its Construction Stormwater General Permit covers clearing, grading, excavating and stockpiling that disturbs one acre or more, and smaller sites that are part of a larger plan, when stormwater could run off to surface waters. Acreage includes staging yards, borrow areas and haul roads. Ask Ecology whether your project reaches that size.

Do I need an approval to clear near a creek?

Possibly. Washington law requires a Hydraulic Project Approval from the Department of Fish and Wildlife for work that uses, diverts, obstructs or changes the bed or flow of state waters, including work above the ordinary high-water line. A preapplication determination is answered within 21 days. Ask WDFW before work near water.

How do I keep soil from washing off a cleared lot?

Leave buffers where you can, cover bare ground, slow runoff and keep mud off roads. Mulching leaves chopped material that can cover soil, while piling and hauling leave bare ground. Agree in writing who plans, installs and checks controls, and what the price includes.

Who is responsible for erosion control on my job?

Settle it in writing before work starts. Ask who plans the controls, who installs them, who checks them after storms and who handles any permit. Ecology can require coverage at a site of any size that it finds to be a significant source of pollution, so ask early.

Is erosion control included in the price?

Not always. Some quotes cover clearing only. Ask whether buffers, covers, seeding and repair visits are in the price, and whether permits are separate. A written scope that lists them makes quotes from different companies comparable, and it avoids a surprise when bare ground starts to wash.

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