Agenda - 05-06-2010 - 4m - Laserfiche WebLink

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Floodnlain Management Ordinance Orange County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and complies with all related regulatory requirements. The ordinance is enforced through requirements set forth by the County's zoning ordinance. It provides a means for prohibiting or restricting development within special flood hazard areas. This ordinance seeks to prevent property loss, insure human safety, and enable the safe and natural flow of streams. The Current Planning Division of the Plannin an In g d spections Department reviews development proposals for consistency with the ordinance. Stormwater Ordinance Riparian Area Protection within the Neuse River Basin: The purpose of the County in adopting the Neuse River Basin regulations is to protect the County's streams, wetlands, and floodplains; to protect the water quality of the County's watercourses, reservoirs, lakes, and ponds; to protect the County's riparian and aquatic ecosystems; reduce Nitrogen laden runoff to the Neuse by 30%; and to provide environmentally sound use of the County's land resources. The Sedimentation and Erosion control Division of the Planning and Inspections Department is responsible for this ordinance. 404 Wetlands 404 wetlands are areas covered by water or that have waterlogged soils for long periods during the growing season. Plants growing in wetlands are capable of living in soils lacking oxygen for at least part of the growing season. Some wetlands, such as swamps, are obvious. Others are sometimes diff'icult to identify because they may be dry during part of the year. Wetlands include,but are not limited to,bottomlands, forest, swamps,pocosins,pine savannas,bogs, marshes, and wet meadows. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act requires that anyone interested in depositing dredged or fill material into "waters of the United States," including wetlands, must apply for and receive a permit for such activities. Erosion and Sedimentation Controls Soil erosion is and has been a serious problem in the Piedmont of North Carolina,resulting in land degradation and water quality deterioration. The Orange County Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance, adopted in 1975 and since amended,provides the legal means by which the adverse impacts of land disturbing development activities can be minimized. The Ordinance regulates the clearing, grading, excavation, filling and manipulation of the earth and the moving and storing of waters in order to: control and prevent accelerated soil erosion and sedimentation,prevent the pollution of water,prevent damage to public and private property, maintain the balance of nature,prevent the obstruction of natural and artificial drainageways, inhibit flooding and reduce the undermining of roads and other transportation facilities. Before a construction permit is granted, a developer must submit an erosion and sedimentation control plan to the County's Erosion Control Officer. These plans include the 49