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I~ - II I I 'I I II I I I I I I I I I I II I 1'1 suitable policies and effective means for their application. This was confirmed in this study by representatives of 56 stormwater management agencies who identified the foremost institutional problem as "lack of areawide policy, criteria, laws, regulation and guidelines". The end product in the development of a comprehensive policy for stormwater management will reflect the profile of the particular community or area. The poli- cies, as a group, should paint a recognizable picture of the community--physically, socially, economically and politically. Whether or not a policy document accurately portrays the area and its people is dependent upon the extent to which various per- tinent factors were given consideration--and the weighting given each. "Planning" principles have much in common with principles for policy development. They often can serve as important components of a local policy document. Laws and Regulations Most urban places have adopted ordinances and regulations for stormwater manage- ment, including flood plain management, in recent years. However, many of these ordinances are not effective and amendments are planned by some agencies. The ordi- nances often are not written clearly and problems of interpretation have developed, even within the department of the public agency that is responsible for enforcing the regulations. As a result, plat approval is delayed. This creates serious prob- lems for land developers. Most developers want to cooperate with public agencies, even though they do not like many of the new stormwater management regulations which they view as being so stringent that they produce an adverse economic effect on the housing market. However, developers generally accept and abide by adopted regulations, provided they can understand the regulations and are convinced that all developers must observe them uniformly. Unfortunately, some public officials are burdened with local ordinances and regulations that are not realistic and con- ducive to flexibility of approach in land development. Too often a "cook-book" approach and solution is required by a public agency, irrespective of the circum- stances or a land developer's creativity. Probably, the principal root cause for the serious flooding, soil erosion and water pollution problems of urban areas is the lack of adequate land use policies. Carefully developed policies, combined with adoption and enforcement of compatible zoning ordinances, constitute essential components of successful stormwater manage- ment programs in urbanizing areas. It is surprising to find that some large muni- cipalities and urban counties are without zoning ordinances, and some do not re- quire a building permit in all cases. Most district agencies lack the power to zone land. This causes problems in regulating land uses in floodplains where local. governments are not attuned to a district's floodplain policy. Public support for adoption of land use plans and zoning legislation in urban areas, where such are either non-existent or unsatisfactory, can be enhanced through public education programs. Because of legal and jurisdictional problems that have developed in recent years, most municipalities have amended their ordinances that regulate stormwater drainage and flood prevention. In many places, surface drainage, flood control, and erosion and sedimentation control ordinances are being adopted, or considered, separate from the subdivision control ordinance. Many of these ordinance revisions and the enactment of new ordinances have been a spin-off of the National Flood In- surance Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Although this program has provided the impetus needed to develop public awareness of the consequences of unwise land use, many elected and appointed officials are 9