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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 18:31 |
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners last Wednesday voted unanimously to pass a new stormwater ordinance designed to minimize damage from runoff.
The measure took effect immediately, though the board will review the measure in 90 days.
Under the new rules, developers must acquire stormwater permits and enact measures such as retention ponds or tanks that will prevent excessive runoff.
Among the specific regulations established by the ordinance are a permit fee of $400 per acre to fund the new program, a requirement that stormwater control measures must be able to contain three inches of rain over a 24-hour period and a $5,000 fine for violaters of the rules.
Despite
the ordinanceës unanimous passage, some developers and commissioners
have expressed concerns that the costs involved in adhering to the
rules will prove to be prohibitively expensive.
Chairman Nathan
Ramsey noted that the Environmental Protection Agency estimates the
costs of stormwater controls to be between $125,000 and $150,000 for a
50-acre residential development.
Some speakers
expressed concern that the ordinance was passed too swiftly, without
proper consideration for the possible impact it could have on
development.
For instance,
Brad Galbraith, president of the Asheville Board of Realtors, urged the
commissioners to delay passage of the ordinance, pending a study of the
potential economic impact.
However, other
residents expressed grattitude to the board for addressing the problem.
Local hydrologist Ted Campbell thanked the commissioners and said that
"a ton of people out there" support the measure.
Others, such as
Victoria Maddox, urged the board to go a step further and enact a
temporary moratorium on all development ÇƒÓ a request that was made at
previous meetings of the board.
The board rejected that request at its Sept. 5 meeting ÇƒÓ voting to pass the stormwater rules instead.
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