§ 532. Findings.

(a)

It is essential to the health, safety, and welfare of the public that the quality of subsurface public drinking water be maintained. Groundwater resources exist in underground reservoirs known as aquifers. These aquifers are zones of rock beneath the earth's surface that are capable of providing water for a well. They occupy vast regions of the subsurface and are replenished by infiltration of surface water runoff in zones of the surface, known as groundwater recharge areas. Groundwater is susceptible to contamination when development occurs within groundwater recharge areas.

(b)

Certain land use activities, such as septic tanks, underground tanks, and chemical spills, pose a significant threat to the quality of groundwater supplies. Therefore, it is necessary to manage land uses within groundwater recharge areas in order to ensure that pollution threats and development impacts are minimized. To this end, this UDC establishes minimum lot sizes to provide for the orderly and safe development of property utilizing on-site sewage management systems.

(c)

Recharge area protection criteria of the state are based on the state's hydrogeology. Recharge area protection within significant recharge areas has been refined by the state based on high, medium, and low susceptibility or vulnerability to human induced pollution.

(d)

Each significant groundwater recharge area mapped by the state within the boundaries of Jackson County, Georgia, as shown on Hydrologic Atlas 18, are within lower pollution susceptibility areas as shown on Hydrologic Atlas 20. This makes state criteria regarding medium and higher pollution susceptibility inapplicable in Jackson County and such criteria are properly excluded from this division.

(Ord. No. 17-003 , § 1, 10-2-2017)