The Legislature of the State of Connecticut has, in the Connecticut
General Statutes, delegated the responsibility to local government
units to adopt regulations designed to promote the public health,
safety and general welfare of its citizenry. Therefore, the Board
of Selectman of the Town of Winchester, acting herein pursuant to
the Charter of the Town of Winchester, does ordain as follows.
It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health,
safety and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses
due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed:
A. To protect human life and health;
B. To minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control
projects;
C. To minimize the need for the rescue and relief efforts associated
with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general
public;
D. To minimize prolonged business interruptions;
E. To minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water
and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets and bridges
located in areas of special flood hazard;
F. To help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the second use
and development of areas of special flood hazard so as to minimize
future flood blight areas;
G. To ensure that potential buyers are notified that property is in
an area of special flood hazard; and
H. To ensure that those who occupy the areas of special flood hazard
assume responsibility for their actions.
In order to accomplish its purposes, this chapter includes methods
and provisions for:
A. Restricting or prohibiting uses which are dangerous to health, safety
and property due to water or erosion hazards, or which result in damaging
increases in erosion or in flood heights or velocities;
B. Requiring that uses vulnerable to floods, including facilities which
serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of
initial construction;
C. Controlling the alteration of natural floodplains, stream channels
and natural protective barriers, which help accommodate or channel
floodwaters;
D. Controlling filling, grading, dredging and other development which
may increase flood damage; and
E. Preventing or regulating the construction of flood barriers which
will unnaturally divert floodwaters or which may increase flood hazards
in other areas.