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. ®~~0 -aoa..~-o~5 1 ~1~3 <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />and <br />PLANNING BOARD <br />PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: February 24, 2003 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. C.1.b <br />SUBJECT: Stream Classification and.Buffer Amendments <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning & Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) YES <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Proposed Ordinance P.3 Craig Benedict, Director, Ext. 2592 <br />Stream Classification Checklist p. s Robert P. Davis, Planner III Ext. 2580 <br />Reynolds Ivins, EC Supvr. Ext. 2456 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8.181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To receive citizens comments regarding the proposed Stream Classification <br />amendment within the Stream Buffer Section of the Zoning Ordinance. <br />BACKGROUND: The North Carolina Division of Water Quality (DWQ) in the Department of <br />Environment and Natural Resources is the agency responsible for statewide regulatory <br />programs in groundwater and surface water protection. The DWQ mission is to preserve, <br />protect and enhance North Carolina's water and groundwater resources through quality <br />monitoring programs, efficient permitting, responsible management, fair and effective <br />enforcement and excellence in public service. This charge is carried out through resources at <br />both the state and local levels. The statewide watershed protection program is an example of <br />s#ate and local government regulatory powers. <br />The County's watershed protection program requires stream buffers be established and <br />enforced along all solid and intermittent blue line streams as identified on the United States <br />Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps. Presently, stream buffers within Orange <br />County's zoning jurisdiction are only required along streams identified on USGS topographic <br />maps. The USGS maps do not protect all water features that are important to water quality. <br />The DWQ estimates that streams represented on USGS topographic maps underestimate the <br />actual presence of streams by approximately 25%. These underrepresented types of streams, <br />which have a high level of impact on water quality, are not protected at all under the County <br />zoning stream buffer regulations. Another major shortcoming of the sole use of USGS maps is <br />that the streams, which are identified on the maps, are based on aerial photography with no <br />field verification. This lack of field verifications by the USGS creates problems, acknowledged <br />by the DWQ, with regard to enforcement of the stream buffer regulations on a lot-by-lot basis. <br />G:currentplanning/eddie/streambuffer/abstract-streamcfassification (Feb24,2003) <br />