The Legislature of the State of New Jersey has in N.J.S.A. 40:48-1 et
seq., delegated the responsibility to local governmental units to adopt regulations
designed to promote public health, safety, and general welfare of its citizenry.
Therefore, the Township Council of the Township of Hillside of New Jersey
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 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,
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 insure 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.