Out of a swamp of federal rules and conflicting emotions over wetlands, a truce appears to be emerging among environmentalists, business interests and local governments charged with protecting the grassy, marshy areas of west Eugene.

"The typical antagonism isn't there," said Pat Decker, a city of Eugene planner who is working on the west Eugene wetlands issue. "We thing we have the environmental and development communities supporting our approach."

The olive branch comes in the form of a plan to protect or restore what ecologists believe to be the most important wetland plots while allowing development in areas of lesser environmental value. IF implemented fully, the cost of the plan would exceed $18 million.

Wetlands--areas that are moist for extended periods during the year--are considered critical habitat for birds, water fowl, other forms of wildlife and rare plants. They also have proved effective at filtering out pollution and controlling floods.

Federal regulations calling for the preservation of the nation's wetlands have led to a clash between conservation groups, which want the protections applied broadly, and developers worried that the restrictions could bring industrial growth to a screeching halt in areas like west Eugene, where 1,400 acres of wetlands have been identified.

The latest development occurred last week in Washington, D.C. where three federal agencies proposed yet another change in the wetlands definition that would allow development on millions of acres that now are protected.

The proposed change, which is under fire by environmental groups, would loosen the definition imposed two years ago. The new definition would require surface flooding for more than 14 consecutive days during the growing season. Wetlands plants also would have to be present.

Steve Gordon, a senior planner with the Lane Council of Governments, said the proposed change could remove the wetlands label from up to 500 acres in west Eugene. He said he hasn't received a copy of new definition, however.

But even if the number of acres of west Eugene wetlands were to decrease, "I don't think it would change the direction of our plan that much," he said. "We've not been totally driven in trying to find a solution by the federal manual."

Two key elements of the west Eugene plan are a proposed local government buyout of the best wetland areas from private owners and a permit system that allows local governments to approve construction in lesser quality wetlands or adjacent to wetlands. Currently, developers face an often confusing gantlet of state and federal permit agencies when trying to build on or near wetlands.

The 80-page document, titled "West Eugene Wetlands Special Area Study," covers 1,430 acres of identified wetlands in what is widely considered to be Lane County's prime industrial growth area. The study outlines protections for about 75 percent of the wetland acreage and identifies areas where growth can occur.

If construction occurs on a wetland, the property owner must then "replace" the lost land by paying for the creation or restoration of other wetland areas.

The plan will be subject of a series of hearing, beginning with a public hearing Tuesday before Eugene, Springfield and Lane County planning commissions. The hearing begins at 7 p.m. at Harris Hall, 125 E. Eighth Ave, Eugene.

Before it goes into effect, the plan must be approved by the Eugene and Springfield city councils as well as the Lane County Board of Commissioners.

The plan has the early backing of business representatives and conservation groups that historically have been at odds with one another over how much land should be made off-limits to development under new federal guidelines regarding wetlands protection.

"We're generally very supportive" of the plan, said Art Farley director of the Lane County Audubon Society. "It reflects a pretty good compromise."

"We have reviewed it and we're very much in favor of it," said Clayton Walker, who represents both the Eugene Chamber of Commerce and a west Eugene neighborhood group overseeing the area wetlands issue.

Farley and Walker say their respective organizations have some quibbles over some of the technical points of the study, issues they both termed as minor. But both plan to lobby for its adoption and for federal funds to help purchase the wetland acreage earmarked for preservation.

Local government officials who worked on the wetlands study say they're pleased by the meeting of minds within the environmental and conservation communities, but they're just as excited by other, not so obvious , aspects of the wetlands plan.

If the plan is adopted and can be carried out successfully, Eugene could become a model for other communities that are being forced by federal clean water laws to revise their land use codes to save wetlands areas, Gordon said. He and LCOG coordinated the west Eugene study.

The goals of the plan go well beyond simply setting the land aside. The goals include creation of a network of interconnecting wetlands along the Amazon Channel, Willow Creek and other west Eugene waterways. Some of the wetlands would be accessible as public parks and some would be reserved for rare plant populations, wildlife or flood control.

"You could actually turn the Amazon Channel, which is a sewer right now, into a much more attractive waterway," Gordon said. A 'greenway corridor" of wetlands could be established that would connect south Eugene, downtown and west Eugene, "Turning something once considered a problem into something we could be proud of."

Additionally, the preserved wetlands could play a key role in solving what may become the next major environmental problem facing urban areas--treatment of storm water runoff, said Deborah Evans of Eugene's public works department.

The federal government has issued regulations requiring communities to filter storm drainage--water that normally runs from streets into storm sewer systems and eventually back into lakes and rivers without any treatment for pollutants.

Studies have shown that storm water is a major contributor to water pollution. Other studies show that storm water goes through a natural purification process when it passes through wetlands, Gordon said.

Waterways such as the Amazon Channel carry much of the Eugene's storm water runoff, which eventually flows into Fern Ridge Reservoir. Protecting and restoring wetlands along the channel offers an ideal solution, he said.

"The term that's in vogue is 'soft technology,'" Gordon said. "How can you use natural conditions to solve your problems, something other than concrete?"

Perhaps most importantly, wetlands are natural havens within cities that people as well as wildlife enjoy, Gordon said.

"People are naturally attracted to water," he said. "Hunters hunt for ducks in wetlands. Kids like to splash around in wetlands. Some people like to sit and contemplate in wetlands."