Planning and
Interjurisdictional Collaboration

OCWCOG’s Community and Economic Development staff assists communities with land use, transportation, facilities, and services planning. Our services include facilitation, visioning and goal setting, research, scenario development, alternatives analysis, and public involvement.

Wetland Mitigation Feasibility Study, Linn and Benton Counties – October 2022

The OCWCOG in collaboration with the Cascade West Regional Consortium (CWRC) worked with Business Oregon to fund Phase I of the Wetland Mitigation Feasibility Study. Wetlands continue to impact residential, commercial and industrial development in the region.

The purpose of this project was to document the intersecting conditions for development and wetland mitigation in Linn County and Benton County and use that information to recommend solutions to meet the wetland mitigation needs of those counties. This study takes an economic perspective to compare supply and demand for development and wetland mitigation. This document also illustrates expected future market conditions for wetland mitigation credits and the impact those conditions will have on the economic development potential for the communities in the region.

Broadly, this study is about supply and demand. Specifically, this study concerns the supply of wetland mitigation bank credits and the demand for those credits by jurisdictions in Linn and Benton counties. The research question for this work is therefore: Does the region have sufficient wetland mitigation credits, at prices that do not impact the economic viability of projects, to accommodate future residential, commercial, and industrial development in the region?