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Article 6: Development Standards 22 <br /> Section 6.13: Stream Buffers <br /> SECTION <br /> 6.13.1 Purpose <br /> The purpose of the regulations included in this Section is to protect County water resources by <br /> establishing minimum buffers adjacent to streams, rivers, water bodies and other water features <br /> and limiting development and other Land-Disturbing Activities within those buffers. <br /> 6.13.2 Applicability <br /> The stream buffer regulations and standards contained herein shall be applicable to all streams <br /> and water features, as follows: <br /> (A) Streams identified by any of the following means: <br /> (1) Shown as solid blue lines or as broken blue lines on the USGS Quadrangle <br /> maps, <br /> (2) Shown as water feature in the Orange County Soil Survey, or <br /> (3) A water feature identified by a field determination of County staff trained in <br /> surface water identification through the North Carolina Division of Environmental <br /> Quality (NCDEQ). <br /> (B) StreamSteam82 buffers shall extend around the perimeter of all water features if any <br /> portion of the stream buffer of a stream touches the water feature. Disputes pertaining to <br /> water feature decisions by County staff shall be filed directly to the North Carolina <br /> Department of Environmental Quality(NCDEQ).83 <br /> 6.13.3 Calculating Width of Stream Buffer <br /> (A) Special Flood Hazard Areas <br /> (1) Those streams identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency <br /> �FEMA)84 as having floodplains shall have stream buffers calculated from the <br /> outside edges of the 100-year floodplain. <br /> (B) Calculating Slope Value <br /> (1) Draw 250' length perpendicular lines, at 200-foot horizontal intervals along the <br /> entire length of the outside edges of the stream, or the outer edge of the FEMA <br /> floodplain, whichever is greater. <br /> (2) Determine the elevation at either the stream bank or the outer edge of the FEMA <br /> floodplain, whichever is highest (Elevation 1), and at the point 250' from the <br /> stream or FEMA floodplain, whichever is applicable, along the perpendicular line <br /> (Elevation 2). <br /> (3) Subtract Elevation 1 from Elevation 2 for the Difference. <br /> (4) Divide the Difference by 250 for the Mean. <br /> (5) Multiply the Mean by 100 to determine the "Slope Value". <br /> (6) Perform this calculation for both sides of the stream or floodplain. <br /> 82 Typo fix. <br /> 83 Staff recommendation to eliminate the use of a technical acronym and improve reading clarity. <br /> 84 Staff recommendation to eliminate the use of a technical acronym and improve reading clarity. <br /> Orange County, North Carolina—Unified Development Ordinance Page 6-92 <br />