§ 10-4.328. Best management practices for conservation and preservation areas.

Best management practices shall be used in conjunction with all new development and all redevelopment in areas within designated canopy road corridors or within 25 feet of any floodplain, floodway, wetland, waterbody, natural watercourse, high quality successional forest, native forest, active karst feature, habitat area of any endangered, threatened, or special concern species, or any other environmentally sensitive area as identified in the Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan, conservation element. The best management practices are as follows:

(1)

Buffering, which may include vegetated berms along the lower contours of lots, so as to provide or improve wildlife habitat and to improve water quality. Berms or buffers shall be vegetated with natural indigenous vegetation suitable for soil and hydrology of the site.

(2)

Restricted use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to those materials which have rapid decomposition characteristics, are labeled for aquatic use, and are used at the lowest possible label rates. Fertilizer constituents should have at least 50 percent slow release characteristics, be applied at the lowest labeled rate per application, be a non-phosphorous or low phosphorous analysis, and be formulated for good slope retention characteristics.

(3)

Preservation or revegetation of natural wetlands, floodways and watercourses.

(4)

Use of native, low-fertilization, and low-maintenance vegetation.

(5)

Regular maintenance and upgrading, as necessary, of septic tanks and approved discharges from washing machines and garbage disposals.

(6)

Soil conservation service approved conservation practices, including erosion and sediment control and water quality practices for all agricultural operations.

(Ord. No. 07-20, § 2, 7-10-07)