—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 22,1979
22
Floodplain amendment won’t
affect Lancaster Co. farmers
LANCASTER - The
county Commissioners
adopted an amendment to
the Lancaster County
Subdivision and Land
Development Ordinance of
1977 that will restrict any fill
or development within the
floodplain of streams.
Dennis Gehnnger, Chief
Land Planner for the
County stated that this new
ordinance would not affect
farmers.
Ordinance 12 was
discussed and adopted at the
regular Commissioner’s
meeting held on Wednesday
morning at the Courthouse.
Approximately 50 people
were in attendance.
The original floodplain
This county map shows in grey those municipalities that have their own
floodplain ordinances. The new amendment will not affect them.
“C" <
ordinance, passed m 1977,
was amended so that now the
floodplain is defmed as “the
area of inundation which
functions as a storage or
holding area for floodwater
to a width required for a one
hundred (100) year flood.”
According to Gehrmger
this means that now building
or development could not be
done in the area that floods
every tune there is a one per
cent chance storm, like the
Agnes and Eloise
hurricanes.
The 1977 ordinance had
limited development of the
floodway fringe with the
stipulation that the homes be
floodproofed within the area.
The fringe was defmed as
the area where, if a house
was constructed, the water
would raise one foot.
The Chief Planner ex
plained that this ordinance
will affect only 40 out of 60
Lancaster County
municipalities. Those
townships that have adopted
their own floodplain or
dinance would not fall under
the county regulations.
Those municipalities that
presently have their own
ordinances include:
Akron Borough; East
Cocalico Township; East
Lampeter Township; East
Donegal Township;
Elizabethtown Borough;
Ephrata Borough; Ephrata
Township; Lancaster City;
Leacock Township; Lititz
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1 WOK
utn.t
Borough; Manheim
Township; Millersville
Borough; Mount Joy
Borough; New Holland
Borough; Quarryville
Borough; Strasburg
Borough; Upper Leacock
Township; West Earl
Township; West Lampeter
Township, and Warwick
Township.
The County’s jurisdiction
is prescribed under Penn
sylvania law, specificially
Municipalities’ Planning
Code Act 247 (1968).
Gehnnger said that a
violation of the ordinance
would be subject to equitable
and criminal prosecution,
with a possible maximum
fme of $lOOO per unit or lot.
He added that it would be
considered a misdemeanor
and would require a full
court hearing rather than a
hearing before a justice of
the peace.
“Most people find out
what’s required,” said
Gehringer, “and do it.” He
noted that there have been
no floodplain violations to
date, under the 1977 or
dinance.
How will this ordinance be
enforced? Before a
developer can begin con
struction, a plan must be
submitted to the County
Planning Commission. In
order for the plan to be
approved, it must meet all
the ordinance regulations,
and include detailed
floodplain information.
The new ordinance calls
for the definition of the
floodplain boundaries to be
done by either the State or
the Federal Government. If
a dispute should arise, the
Commission would deter
mine the location.
(Turn to Page 24)
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PHONE 301-398-21) 1
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SMOKETOWN, PA
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