Nelson County Comprehensive Plan -- 2001

 

NATURAL AND SCENIC RESOURCES

 

Introduction

 

The areas that define the natural environment -- soil, water, air, and mineral resources, and plant and animal habitats -- are important resources. When these resources are protected and carefully managed, they will sustain Nelson County's present and future population. Resource degradation will have both immediate and long-term effects on Nelson County residents' real property values and quality of life/health.

Protect natural resources, including soil, groundwater, surface water, air, wetlands, and forest resources.

 

Integration With Technical Documents

 

The most up-to-date technical information on Nelson County forms the basis for the recommendations made herein. It is found in the Appendix to this Comprehensive Plan.

 

Land use changes shall consider water quality issues when appropriate. 

 

1.         Watershed

 

Goal 1

 

Safeguard and protect the health, scenic beauty, and cultural heritage of the watershed of Nelson County's River watersheds which include both surface and ground waters.

 

Reason for Action

 

The physical health of the County's River watershed is directly related to Nelson County residents' health because it provides drinking water.

 

The scenic beauty of the County's River watershed is important because the sensory perception of nature, whether listening to babbling brooks or watching wildlife, provides important mental health benefits in terms of stress reduction, lower blood pressure, etc.

 

The cultural heritage of the County's River watershed is important to preserve as a living part of our community life and development to provide a sense of orientation to the people.

 

Action Steps

 

Develop public awareness to create a watershed ethic;

 

Highlight Best Management Practices (BMP's) in Zoning Ordinances

 

Establish telephone hotline for citizens to report watershed violations.

 

Print and distribute a brochure of whom to call to report watershed violations.

 

Key good science and maps to Standards of Learning to incorporate watershed protection into public school curricula.

 

Use governmental incentives, which would include support for land protection tools such as conservation easements.

 

                                    Develop effective local enforcement of environmental ordinances:

 

 

Goal 2

 

Create a comprehensive water resource vision for growth and preservation areas to be compatible with the county comprehensive plan. 

 

Reason for Action

 

Provide compatibility between commerce, recreational activities, and natural resources.

 

Preserve rural character within the Watershed Areas.

 

Preserve agriculture and forestry activities, lands, and supporting services.

 

Action Steps

 

Promote public education and eco-tourism within the watershed.

 

Develop a long-range plan to address water quality, wildlife habitat, and restoration activities in the County's River watershed.

 

Develop protection strategies for watershed areas and/or future impoundment sites, when needed.

 

Support local and regional initiatives relating to enhanced watershed management.

 

Preserve environmentally sensitive lands through zoning, including "critical edge habitat" through zoning, conservation easements, and other appropriate development incentives.

 

Goal 3

 

Involve citizens in the collection, collation and distribution of good scientific data on the health of the County's watersheds. 

 

Reason for Action

 

                                                            Nelson County lacks sufficient data on the

                                                            watershed to know whether it is clean, dirty,

                                                            polluted, or otherwise.

 

Need to assess water quality impacts caused by changes in land use.

                                                           

Action Steps

 

                                                            Create a citizen board to advise the planning

                                                            commission and board of supervisors on

                                                            watershed issues.

                                                           

                                                            Coordinate water quality monitoring within the

                                                            watershed and enhance data compatibility.

 

Implement a water quality monitoring program in partnership with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Save Our Streams, etc.

 

Inventory County-wide environmental attributes, such as soil types, floodplains, and wetlands, utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

 

Record and preserve significant County waterways.

 

 

3.         Surface Water

 

Goal 1

 

Recognize the County's river systems as significant environmental resources worthy of protection.

 

Reasons for Action

 

High quality surface waters significantly contribute to Nelson County residents' real property values and quality of life/health.

 

Surface waters provide a valuable resource for: commerce, water supply, irrigation, pollution abatement, recreation, habitat support, and aesthetics.

 

Surface waters adjoin wetlands. Some wetlands provide critical habitat for rare and endangered plant and animal species.

 

Surface water quality is interconnected with land use and changes in land use.

 

Action Steps

 

Surface water protection efforts should be integrated with other County initiatives, e.g. projects to retain forest cover, minimize site disturbance, protect and manage open space, restore habitat, preserve critical edges, promote stormwater infiltration practices, utilize water-wise landscaping, restore rivers and their streambanks, implement environmental restoration, create greenways and wildlife corridors or erosion control.

 

Establish specific performance guidelines to include riparian buffers for Resource Protection Areas and Resource Management Areas regarding land use and development related activities.

 

Devise performance standards which include:

retention of vegetation, minimal site disturbance, and reduction of nutrients in post-development stormwater.

Performance standards designed to protect water quality and

downstream properties by requiring that post-development flows approximate predevelopment conditions.

 

Create design criteria which encourage protection of natural watercourses and shorelines, natural drainage ways, and wetlands.

 

 

Goal 2

 

                                                            Protect river systems as a key component of the

                                                            county's rural based tourism efforts.

 

Reason for Action

 

Healthy waters encourage tourism, e.g. fly-fishing, canoeing, hiking.  

 

Action Steps

 

Increase public access to river systems which could be made available through fee simple acquisition.

 

                                                            Encourage the establishment of scenic river

                                                            designations.

 

Goal 3

 

Slow sedimentation levels down to naturally occurring levels through forested stream buffers.

 

Reason for Action

 

Mitigate erosion to reduce sedimentation because the rivers of Nelson County drain to the James River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

 

Forests can be maintained along streams to reduce streambank erosion and are a valuable tool in filtering runoff, reducing nutrient pollution, moderating stream temperatures, and providing fish and wildlife habitat.

 

Healthy streams and adjacent forested areas are critical to restoring water quality in the watershed.

 

                                                           

 

Action Steps:

 

Provide general public education about enhancing surface water resources through citizen stewardship and actions.

 

Educate the public education about creating and sustaining backyard habitats.

 

Physically enhance and restore natural resources through reintroducing native plant material.

 

Provide for flexible strategies, voluntary incentive-based programs, sound science, private and non-profit partnerships, and enhanced coordination of existing governmental programs.

 

Conserve existing forest corridors and restore forest buffers along streams, rivers and develop watershed-based stormwater strategies.

 

 

3. Storm Water Management

 

Goal 1

 

                                                Protect rivers and streams from the impacts of

                                                stormwater.

 

Reason for Action

                                                Land uses should be managed so that stormwater is

                                                not increased.   When construction creates

                                                impermeable surfaces post development water runoff

                                                should not exceed predevelopment levels.

 

                        Construction sites can be significantly in excess of

                                                that produced by farms and forests.

 

Action Steps

 

Require Stormwater Ordinance study to be done

 

                                                Reason for Action

                                               

Develop a long-range strategy to address storm water management requirements from existing development, new development, and redevelopment activities.

 

Coordinate land use planning and storm water management in accordance with the County's Comprehensive Plan.

 

Identify regional solutions to storm water management throughout the County.

 

Restore and protect public properties from erosion and reduce runoff to tributaries.

 

                                                                       

 

 

5.         Ground Water

 

Goal 1

 

All citizens must have adequate supplies of potable water.

 

Reason for Action

 

Many citizens obtain water from wells or springs.  Areas where provision of municipal infrastructure is not feasible or is undesirable, must receive the highest possible level of protection due to the reliance on groundwater for potable water supply.

 

                                    Goal 2

                                                            Protect groundwater aquifers.

 

Groundwater recharge primarily occurs through vertical leakage to the water table aquifer, rather than through discrete recharge zones.

 

                                                            Groundwater Protection Overlay Districts

                                                            are recommended as a valuable tool to protect

                                                            supplies.  The Drastic Study should form the

                                                            basis for siting these overlay districts.

                                                           

                                                            Maintenance of river flows requires protection

                                                            of groundwater aquifers.  Drawdown of the

                                    water table due to overpumping of supplies

can lead to lowered stream flows and harm to fish

                                                            and wildlife.

 

Action Steps

 

Recognize physical constraints to development within the County and utilize and expand existing mapping of environmentally-sensitive areas.

 

                                                            Any activities which impair or destroy the

                                                            functioning of aquifers should be prohibited.

 

Quantity and quality protection of long-term ground­water resources must be coordinated with comprehensive land use planning.

 

The County must approach the protection of groundwater quantity and quality and the continued provision of recharge through: enhanced storm water management, using pervious surfacing materials where practical, protection of open space, and reducing impervious cover.

 

Goal 3

 

All septic systems should be fully functioning.

 

Reason for Action

                                                Failing septic systems can impair public health,

                                                water quality and impact streams and other points of

                                                water discharge.

 

                                                Action Steps

 

Require septic tanks to be properly maintained, e.g every 5 years.

                                                           

                                                            Establish minimum lot sizes for all housing

                                                            lots requiring well & septic systems.

 

                                    Goal 4

 

                                                Ensure septic systems do not contaminate streams.

                                               

                                                Action Steps:

                                                Provide adequate setback from existing surface

                                                waters.

           

 

                                    Goal 5

                                               

                                                Prevent and reduce point and nonpoint sources of

                                                water pollution.

 

Reason for Action

Surface water contaminants enter through both point and nonpoint sources.

The discharge from industrial outfalls, municipal treatment plants, and primary storm water outfalls are point sources of pollutants because they come from a specific point or pipe.

Point Nonpoint source pollution cannot be traced to distinct, identifiable sources.

Nonpoint source pollutants include nutrients, chemicals, oil slicks, pet and yard waste, and improperly handled solid and hazardous wastes, much of which is associated with runoff from residential properties.

 

                                                            Soil washing off of devegetated and unprotected

                                                            construction sites contributes to non-point

                                                            source pollution.

 

                                                            In rural areas, nonpoint source pollutants may

                                                            include manure, pesticides, soil erosion from                                                                                                      cultivated fields and erosion associated with

                                                            forestry operations.

 

                                                            Nonpoint source pollution is the County's

                                                            primary concern with respect to maintaining and

                                                            enhancing the quality of our surface waters.

 

Storm water runoff is the primary means of transporting nonpoint source pollutants into nearby surface waters.

 

Action Steps

 

Education and awareness programs targeted to schools, service organizations, civic associations, and business/professional groups concerning activities which can be undertaken to help reduce nonpoint source pollution.

 

Educate residents and developers about innovative technologies to reduce stormwater runoff (rain gardens, swales as holding areas, avoid excessive impervious surfaces, promote cluster development).

 

Enact water quality ordinances which target minimizing the transport of nonpoint source pollutants into receiving surface waters via storm water runoff.

 

                                                            Incorporate principles of open space planning

                                                            and site plans in the creation of subdivisions.

 

                                                            Use natural vegetation to mitigate effects of

                                                            stormwater runoff through infiltration and

                                                            filtering.