The Town Board of the Town of Woodstock finds
that the potential and/or actual damages from flooding and erosion
may be a problem to the residents of the Town of Woodstock and that
such damages may include: destruction or loss of private and public
housing, damage to public facilities, both publicly and privately
owned, and injury to and loss of human life. In order to minimize
the threat of such damages and to achieve the purposes and objectives
hereinafter set forth, this chapter is adopted.
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 to:
A.
Regulate 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.
Require that uses vulnerable to floods, including
facilities which serve such uses, be protected against flood damage
at the time of initial construction;
C.
Control the alteration of natural floodplains, stream
channels, and natural protective barriers which are involved in the
accommodation of floodwaters;
D.
Control filling, grading, dredging and other development
which may increase erosion or flood damages;
E.
Regulate the construction of flood barriers which
will unnaturally divert floodwaters or which may increase flood hazards
to other lands; and
F.
Qualify for and maintain participation in the National
Flood Insurance Program.
The objectives of this chapter are to:
A.
Protect human life and health;
B.
Minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood-control
projects;
C.
Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated
with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general
public;
D.
Minimize prolonged business interruptions;
E.
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.
Help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the
sound use and development of areas of special flood hazard so as to
minimize future flood blight areas;
G.
Provide that developers are notified that property
is in an area of special flood hazard; and
H.
Ensure that those who occupy the areas of special
flood hazard assume responsibility for their actions.
