Policy Text:
To ensure that any Recharge Reducing Activity never becomes a significant drinking water threat, where this activity would be a significant drinking water threat as prescribed by the CWA, the Planning Approval Authority shall require that all site plan, subdivision and vacant land condominium applications to facilitate Major Development for new residential, commercial, industrial and institutional uses provide a water balance assessment for the proposed development which addresses each of the following requirements:
a. maintain pre-development recharge to the greatest extent feasible through best management practices such as LID, minimizing impervious surfaces, and lot level infiltration;
b. where pre-development recharge cannot be maintained on site, implement and maximize off-site recharge enhancement (within the same WHPA-Q) to compensate for any predicted loss of recharge from the development; and
c. within a WHPA-Q in a Chloride, Sodium or Nitrate ICA, the water balance assessment must consider water quality when recommending best management practices and address how recharge will be maintained and water quality will be protected including consideration of how water quality will be protected from application and storage of winter maintenance materials including Salt.
The Planning Approval Authority shall use its discretion to implement the requirements of this policy to the extent feasible and practicable given the nature of the proposed development, specific circumstances of a site and off-site recharge opportunities.