Property Tax Search
Home › Comp Plans › Marysville › Environment
Marysville · MAR-CP-2044 · Pages 201-228

Environment

The Environmental Element addresses critical area protection, water quality, stormwater management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and environmental justice across Marysville's urban growth area. It incorporates requirements from GMA's 2021 climate amendments, directing the City to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled while fostering resilience. Policies address protection of the Qwuloolt Estuary, Ebey Slough, Quil Ceda Creek, and other significant natural systems alongside Low Impact Development stormwater practices.

Environment Environment Safety Governance

“Only 1 of 22 Environment policies (5%) include a concrete, measurable commitment.” Real Record SAY vs DO analysis · Marysville Comprehensive Plan

About this analysis

Real Record applies the SAY vs DO accountability framework to every chapter of every Washington comprehensive plan we publish. Each policy in the chapter is read individually and scored into one of four buckets:

  • Measurable — the policy names a specific target, deadline, dollar amount, or action that can be verified later.
  • Strong — binding action language (“shall,” “will adopt,” “require”) without a measurable threshold.
  • Aspirational — encouraging or supportive language (“encourage,” “support,” “consider”) with no enforcement.
  • Monitor only — policies that commit to tracking or reporting but not to action.

The accountability score shown in the sidebar is the share of policies in the chapter that landed in the “Measurable” bucket. A score of 0–19 (red) indicates most policies use aspirational language without concrete accountability; 20–49 (orange) is mixed; 50 or higher (green) means the chapter is dominated by measurable commitments.

The underlying text comes from the official adopted comprehensive plan published by the Marysville planning department. Scoring is performed by Real Record analysts using a structured rubric; the raw policy text and bucket assignments are archived in the Real Record civic data warehouse.

Read the full methodology, sources, and rubric at Real Record · About.

Goals (5 total)
  • EN 1: Protect and enhance critical areas including wetlands, streams, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous areas.
  • EN 2: Protect and enhance surface water and groundwater quality and quantity.
  • EN 3: Manage stormwater and drainage to reduce flooding and water quality impacts.
  • EN 4: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts.
  • EN 5: Promote environmental justice and equitable distribution of environmental benefits and burdens.
Stronger Policy Language (9 policies in this chapter)
  • EN 1: Protect critical areas including wetlands, streams, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous areas through critical area regulations consistent with the best available science.
  • EN 3: Require stormwater management facilities to be designed and maintained to reduce runoff volumes, slow runoff rates, and improve water quality consistent with the City's NPDES permit requirements.
Show all 9 stronger policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 5 stronger policies are catalogued in the Real Record civic data warehouse and indexed by policy number against the adopted plan text. See how policies are scored →
Aspirational / Monitoring Language (12 policies in this chapter)
  • EN 4: Encourage the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new and existing development.
  • EN 5: Promote environmental justice by ensuring that all residents have equitable access to a clean and healthy environment.
  • EN 2: Support protection of groundwater quality used for public water supplies through land use regulations and best management practices.
Show all 12 aspirational / monitoring policies
The four examples above are a representative sample. The remaining 8 policies in this bucket use language like “encourage,” “support,” “consider,” or “monitor” — phrasing that does not create an enforceable commitment. See how policies are scored →

SAY vs DISCUSS: Did this come up in meetings?

Real Record has not yet indexed any Marysville briefings tagged to this chapter’s topics. Browse all Marysville council and planning briefings to see related discussions in context.

View Marysville Briefings →

SAY vs DO: Where the Money Goes

Departments related to Environment in Marysville — what the city actually funds, year over year.

Budget analysis for this chapter is in progress. Real Record has mapped 3 Marysville departments to this chapter, but the FY2006 / FY2025 line-item totals are not yet loaded into our civic data warehouse. In the meantime, browse the city-wide budget comparison on the index page.