No structure or land shall hereafter be used
and no structure shall be located, relocated, reconstructed, enlarged
or structurally altered except in full compliance with the terms and
provisions of this chapter and any other applicable ordinances and
regulations which apply to uses within the jurisdiction of this chapter.
The Floodplain Conservation District shall include
areas adjoining any watercourse, drainage course or body of water
subject to periodic inundation or overflow. The most extensive of
those areas described in the following sources determine the outermost
boundary of the Floodplain Conservation District:
A. One-hundred-year flood boundary, as delineated in
the Flood Insurance Study dated December 19, 1996, and the accompanying
maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or
the most recent revision thereof.
[Amended by Ord. No. 693]
B. Fifty-year flood, as delineated in the Floodplain
Information Report on Wissahickon Creek, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,
Corps of Engineers, United States Army District, Philadelphia, March
1965.
C. The Floodplain District shall be extended to include
land areas which contain soil characteristics clearly indicating flooding
conditions, hereinafter referred to as "floodplain soils." The floodplain
soils shall include any one or combination of the following soil classifications
as defined in the Soil Survey of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,
prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation
Service: Bermudian silt loam, Bouldery alluvial land, Bowmansville
silt loam, Codorus silt loam, Hatboro silt loam and Rowland silt loam.
[Amended 7-15-1993 by Ord. No. 645]
[Amended 7-15-1993 by Ord. No. 645]
The Floodplain Conservation District is established
as hereinabove described. Where the specific one-hundred-year elevation
has not been detailed on the Flood Insurance Study, the floodplain
soils shall govern unless the applicant for the proposed use, development
and/or activity determines this elevation is in accordance with hydrologic
and hydraulic engineering techniques. Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis
shall be undertaken at the expense of the applicant by professional
engineers or others of demonstrated qualifications, who shall certify
that the methods used correctly reflect currently accepted technical
concepts. Soil mapping may be verified by the applicant by on-site
testing. Studies, analysis, computations, etc., shall be submitted
in sufficient detail to allow a thorough technical review by the Township.
The delineation of the Floodplain Conservation
District may be revised by the Board of Supervisors where natural
or man-made changes have occurred or where more detailed studies conducted
or undertaken by a qualified agency or individual document the suitability
for such change. Prior to any such revision, approval shall be obtained
from the Federal Insurance Administration.
Initial interpretations of the boundaries of the Floodplain Conservation District shall be made by the Zoning Officer. Should a dispute arise concerning the boundaries of the district, the Zoning Hearing Board shall make a determination, pursuant to §
116-216. The person questioning the location of the district boundary shall have the burden of proving the actual location of the boundary in question.
[Amended 5-14-1998 by Ord. No. 708]
A. In the Floodplain Conservation District, dwellings,
except for mobile or manufactured homes, are permitted within the
floodway fringe, provided that they are in compliance with the provisions
of the underlying district; they cause no increase in the elevation
of the one-hundred-year-frequency recurrent interval flood by more
than one foot at any point; and are not prohibited by any other ordinances
or regulations.
B. In the Floodplain Conservation District, the following
additional uses and activities are permitted, provided that they are
in compliance with the provisions of the underlying district and are
not prohibited by another ordinance and provided they do not require
structures, fill or storage of materials or equipment:
(1)
Agricultural uses such as general farming, pasture,
grazing, outdoor plant nurseries, horticulture, truck farming, forestry,
sod farming and wild-crop harvesting, operating pursuant to recognized
soil conservation practices.
(2)
Public and private recreational uses and activities,
such as parks, day camps, picnic grounds, golf courses, boat launching
and swimming areas, hiking, horseback riding trails, wildlife and
nature preserves, game farms, fish hatcheries and fishing areas.
(3)
Front, side or rear yards and required lot area.
(4)
Pervious parking and loading areas.