§ 811. Best management practices required for all land developments.

Best management practices as set forth in this section shall be required for all land-disturbing activities, whether or not such land-disturbing activities are exempt from the requirement to obtain a land disturbance permit or development permit. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 12-7-6, all land development shall be consistent with the requirements of this section, even if exempt from the requirement to obtain a land disturbance permit. Jackson County shall require at a minimum, protections at least as stringent as the state general permit, and best management practices, including sound conservation and engineering practices to prevent and minimize erosion and resultant sedimentation, which are consistent with, and no less stringent than, those practices contained in the "Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control In Georgia" published by the state soil and water conservation commission as of January 1 of the year in which the land-disturbing activity was permitted, as well as the following:

(a)

Stripping of vegetation, regrading, and other development activities shall be conducted in such a manner so as to minimize erosion;

(b)

Cut and fill operations must be kept to a minimum;

(c)

Development plans must conform to topography and soil type, so as to create the lowest practicable erosion potential;

(d)

Whenever feasible, natural vegetation shall be retained, protected, and supplemented;

(e)

The disturbed area and the duration of exposure to erosive elements shall be kept to a practicable minimum;

(f)

Disturbed soil shall be stabilized as quickly as practicable;

(g)

Temporary vegetation or mulching shall be employed to protect exposed critical areas during development;

(h)

Permanent vegetation and structural erosion control measures must be installed as soon as practicable;

(i)

To the extent necessary, sediment in run-off water must be trapped by the use of debris basins, sediment basins, silt traps, or similar measures until the disturbed area is stabilized. As used in this paragraph, a disturbed area is stabilized when it is brought to a condition of continuous compliance with applicable soil erosion requirements;

(j)

Adequate provisions must be provided to minimize damage from surface water to the cut face of excavations or the sloping surfaces of fills;

(k)

Cuts and fills may not endanger adjoining property;

(l)

Fills may not encroach upon natural watercourses or constructed channels in a manner so as to adversely affect other property owners;

(m)

Grading equipment must cross flowing streams by the means of bridges or culverts, or otherwise by a method authorized in the manual;

(n)

Land-disturbing activity plans for erosion and sedimentation control shall include provisions for treatment or control of any source of sediments and adequate sedimentation control facilities to retain sediments on site or preclude sedimentation of adjacent waters. No such land-disturbing activity shall allow a discharge that results in the turbidity of receiving waters being increased by more than 25 nephelometric turbidity units for waters supporting warm water fisheries. The turbidity of the receiving waters shall be measured in accordance with guidelines to be issued by the director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. This paragraph shall not apply to any land disturbance associated with the construction of single-family homes which are not part of a larger common plan of development or sale unless the planned disturbance for such construction is equal to or greater than five acres.

Failure to properly design, install, or maintain best management practices shall constitute a violation of any land-disturbance permit issued by a local issuing authority or of any state general permit issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 12-5-30(f) for each day on which such failure occurs.

(Ord. No. 17-003 , § 1, 10-2-2017)