NATURAL RESOURCES
ELEMENT
A clean natural environment is critical to maintaining a high quality of life and sustaining economic growth. This element establishes natural resources-related Recommendations and Action Strategies.
Across the board, Citizen Survey results place the highest priority upon the protection of a clean natural environment. Water quality, air quality, floodplain protection, and protection of scenic views and mountainous areas all ranked very high, varying only slightly according to the question.
The Community Meeting results echo those of the Citizen Survey, with comments regarding the protection of the natural environment comprising more than 7% of all comments made.
64.7% of the respondents to the Designing Our Future Community Vision Ballot indicated that it is important to, “Preserve and restore our mountains, air, and clean water, and protect our unique mountain environment.”
Recommendation N-01: Minimize
the potential for damage to personal property, infrastructure, and life due to
flooding.
Floodplain management is critical as the county continues to grow. Necessary regulations are supported by public input. Natural floodplains that are amply vegetated and clear of manmade obstructions serve an important role by allowing floodwaters to spread across their extent. This spreading action, coupled with the friction provided by vegetation, reduces the velocity and force of floodwaters and allows the floodplain to absorb some of the volume. Floodplains also provide valuable wildlife habitat and are valuable for the protection of water quality. Furthermore, floodplain lands are often productive agricultural areas that play an extremely important role in the agricultural component of the county’s economy, and their protection would further the recommendations of the Agriculture Element of this Comprehensive Plan.
Map # 2, Floodplains and Floodways (Appendix I) shows the areas susceptible to floods of 100-year and 500-year magnitude as shown on Federal Flood Insurance Rate (FIRM) maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program in the early 1980s. Please see Section 2, Factors Influencing Growth, for further discussion of this map.
Figures N.1, N.2, and N.3 detail some of the flood hazard
characteristics of
|
Floodplain |
Jurisdiction |
Total Acres |
Percent of Total Acres |
|
100-Year Floodplain |
Municipal |
4,102.42 |
1.71% |
|
County |
10,558.20 |
4.40% |
|
|
500-Year Floodplain |
Municipal |
376.63 |
0.16% |
|
County |
845.48 |
0.35% |
|
|
Floodplain Total |
15,882.73 |
6.62% |
|
|
Non-Floodplain |
Municipal |
24,410.27 |
10.17% |
|
County |
199,806.78 |
83.22% |
|
|
Non-Floodplain Total |
224,217.05 |
93.38% |
|
|
Total |
240,099.79 |
|
|
In Figure N.2, Critical Facilities include structures such as rest homes, hospitals, County government buildings, airports, and buildings associated with infrastructure such as substations, water and sewer plants, fire departments, emergency shelters and others
|
Jurisdiction |
Non-Flood Plain |
100-Year Floodplain |
500-Year Floodplain |
Total Acreage |
|
County |
199,806.78 |
10,558.20 |
845.48 |
211,211.17 |
|
Flat Rock |
4,809.29 |
250.15 |
29.76 |
5,089.20 |
|
Fletcher |
2,509.22 |
1,221.05 |
118.10 |
3,848.37 |
|
Hendersonville |
3,479.41 |
517.35 |
119.90 |
4,116.66 |
|
Laurel Park |
1,700.44 |
0.21 |
0.02 |
1,700.67 |
|
Mills River |
11,895.21 |
2,113.65 |
108.85 |
14,117.72 |
|
Saluda |
16.71 |
- |
- |
16.71 |
|
Grand Total |
224,217.77 |
14,660.62 |
1,222.11 |
240,099.78 |
A. Adopt a Flood Hazard Prevention Ordinance.
As of the drafting of this County Comprehensive Plan, Henderson County does not have a flood hazard prevention ordinance, and floodplains are protected only by the inability of anyone building in the floodplain to acquire a conventional mortgage and flood insurance. To date, this policy has afforded some protection to the floodplain. However, it is evident from the aforementioned figures that such policy has not fully protected the county from floodplain development. As development pressures grow and land prices continue to rise, the temptation to fill and develop portions of the floodplain will grow.
Recent changes in North Carolina State law make it likely that Henderson County will no longer be eligible for disaster assistance funds in response to any natural hazard (earthquakes, tornados, ice storms, etc.) if the County does not have a flood hazard prevention ordinance and participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (White). In response to these factors, Henderson County and its municipalities recently adopted as policy the Henderson County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (“Mitigation Plan”).
Included among the goals and recommendations of the Mitigation Plan is the establishment of a Henderson County Flood Hazard Prevention Ordinance and a Stormwater Management Plan, and participation in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program. These echo earlier recommendations of the 1993 Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the Mills River / Fletcher Area Land Use Study.
The County will establish a flood hazard prevention ordinance that meets minimum Federal Emergency Management Agency and North Carolina Division of Emergency Management guidelines, and will consider participation in the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program.
Minimum NFIP requirements permit the placement of new structures within the 100-year flood plain so long as it can be proven that such structures are elevated at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation (in addition to other requirements). While such requirements may generally protect elevated structures they ignore the fact that earthen fill (and other types of fill), which is the method normally used to lift a structure above the base flood elevation, can displace flood water onto other properties. The long-term effect of cumulative floodplain fill is to displace flood waters such that the base flood elevation – indeed the very shape of the floodplain itself – becomes unnaturally altered. Areas not historically prone to flooding become susceptible, elevated structures become vulnerable, flood velocity is potentially increased, and the flood absorption capacity is compromised. Eventually, floodplain fill can have a negative effect similar to that of river channelization, levies, or dykes.
Any flood hazard prevention ordinance or other standards and requirements adopted by the County will contain provisions that prevent inappropriate alterations of floodplains and stream channels, such as channelization, levy or dyke construction, and floodplain filling. It should be reiterated that under North Carolina law such provisions would not apply to agricultural operations.
While County floodplain management is important, the county’s municipalities control a significant portion of the county’s flood-prone areas (see Appendix I, Map # 2, Floodplains and Floodways). Proper floodplain management cannot occur without consistent management within the county’s municipalities. The County will encourage its municipalities to adopt flood hazard prevention standards similar to those described above.
A. Investigate measures to maintain the open
and free flow of all perennial streams in the county.
Flooding problems can be exaggerated by unnatural stream blockages that impede the flow of floodwaters. Such blockages can include unnatural accumulations of debris, as well as roads, bridges, and culverts. The County will investigate measures to minimize stream blockages, including improved design standards for private stream crossings and culverts. Furthermore, the County will work with the NC Department of Transportation to improve the design of public roads and bridges so as to minimize their negative effects upon flooding.
Recommendation N-02:
Protect Water Quality.
Water quality is an important emerging issue in Henderson County, and clean water is an important component of a high quality of life. Public input indicates a high level of support for the protection of water quality. Henderson County’s policies and regulations can have a profound effect upon this issue. The County will take steps to protect the quality of all perennial streams within the County’s jurisdiction. Typical measures to protect the quality of water include maintaining vegetation along stream banks, preventing erosion, and limiting the discharge of pollutants into water bodies.
A number of key documents and sources were consulted in the development of this element, including the following:
· 1993 Henderson County Comprehensive Land Use Plan
· Mills River / Fletcher Area Land Use Study
· Mills River Watershed Protection Plan
· Mud Creek Watershed Restoration Plan
· Green River Gorge Protection Plan
· Hickory Nut Gorge Protection Plan
· French Broad River Basin Protection Plan
· Other programs and activities of various Federal, State, Regional, and Local agencies and organizations
Each of these studies identifies a number of key issues and relevant solutions.