FLOOD04891

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Addressing your Community's Flood Problems
• Date: 1/1/1996
• Prepared By: ASFPM
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

. We are requiring 75-foot setbacks and 25-foot vegetated buffer strips for new development along streams.

. We are requiring site permits for all development. Development is defined as "any manmade change

to real estate" and includes a catch-all provision that covers "any other activity that changes the

direction, height or velocity of flood or surface water. . . .n This regulation applies to the grading of

all private property induding residential. Improperly graded property has been a source of neigh,

borhood flooding problems for years ~ this is our effort to keep this from happening in the future.

. We have assembled all regulations related to stormwater management into one code. Therefore, our

code includes floodplain regulations, storrnwater detention, wetlands protection, and erosion control.

With stronger regulations, the residents threatened by floods have been given some insurance. We

have not eliminated flooding, but it should not get any worse as long as we enforce our codes.

Over the last decade, our group has worked diligently toward our goals. We have attracted grant

monies for demonstration projects illustrating improved detention and erosion techniques. We held a

very successful open house to educate our residents on the advantages of floodproofing. We produced

a video tape for our cable channel to explain the work of the committee. Our greenway plan has been

incorporated into our region's master greenway plan. We have created a Vision Plan which is shown

graphically on a two-sided foldout publication. Most recently, we have been working through a State

grant to purchase a portion of those all-important natural storage areas.

BUTTERFIELD EXPERIENCE AS A MODEL We believe there are four universally applicable

lessons from the Butterfield experience. The first is that streams do not respect geographic or political

boundaries. Stormwater management must have the cooperation of all the watershed communities in

order to solve problems. Demonstrating a united effort also makes it much easier to get outside help.

The second lesson is that help is available. State and Federal agencies often receive criticism because

of their regulatory responsibility; in fact, they are a resource of unbelievably knowledgeable and dedicated

people who really want to help, We have been blessed with the help of these agencies, They cannot do all

things, but if the locality is willing to work with what is possible, much can be accomplished.

The third lesson is that it is as important to know what can't be done as what can be done. Our water-

shed had to accept that there would be no quick fix for flooding problems. We were going to have to help

ourselves and really significant results for our stream and our residents would take years of hard work.

Finally, efforts to manage stormwater also provide an opportunity to protect the environment and

provide recreation, but these efforts must be viewed in a holistic way in order to take advantage of the

opportunities. A multi-objective approach is critical.

Our creek, like all streams, bears the imprint of the watershed, its geographical gathering area, in

such a way that every activity on the land is registered in its waters. Flooding, erosion, and environmental

degradation are the creek's reaction to poor watershed planning. The Butterfield Committee hopes

that the waters of our creek will one day bear the positive imprint of our improved planning. For

further information, contact Peggy A. Glassford, (708) 798,2300 or Ralph Coglianese, (708) 481,8373.

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