§ 512. Findings.

(a)

River corridors, or those strips of land that flank major rivers in Georgia, are of vital importance to Georgia in that they help preserve those qualities that make a river suitable as a habitat for wildlife, a site for recreation, and a source for clean drinking water. River corridors also allow the free movement of wildlife from area to area within the state, help control erosion and river sedimentation, and help absorb flood waters. The method mandated in O.C.G.A. § 12-2-8 for the protection of river corridors is the establishment of natural vegetative buffer areas bordering each protected river.

(b)

In preparing and adopted river corridor plans, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners finds that it is appropriate to designate river corridors along the Middle Oconee River, North Oconee River, and Mulberry River, even though one or more of these rivers may not meet the minimum water flow specification in cubic feet per second, defining a protected river by state rule.

(Ord. No. 17-003 , § 1, 10-2-2017)