Complete UDC - Forsyth County Government

Chapter 21, Overlay Districts
Unified Development Code of Forsyth County - 21 - 2 -
to twenty-five (25) percent, or existing use, whichever is greater. The impervious surface area
requirement shall be calculated based upon that portion of the water supply watershed within
unincorporated Forsyth County; discrete parcels or projects will not be required to independently
satisfy the impervious surface area limitations set forth above.
(a) Alternative criteria that provides equal or better protection of the water supply watershed shall
also be acceptable if approved by Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).
(4) New facilities which handle hazardous materials of the types listed in Section 312 of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (excluding underground storage tanks), and amounts of
10,000 pounds on any one day or more, shall perform their operations on impervious surfaces in
conformance with any applicable federal spill prevention requirements or the requirements of the
Standard Fire Prevention Code.
(D) Exemptions.
(1) Land uses established prior to the promulgation of the Water Supply Watershed Protection Plan.
(2) Mining activities permitted by the Department of Natural Resources under the Surface Mining
Act.
(3) Utilities are exempt from the stream corridor buffer and setback area provisions of the Water
Supply Watershed Protection Plan if the utilities to be located in the buffer or setback areas cannot
feasibly be located outside these areas;
(a) The utilities shall be located as far from the stream bank as reasonably possible.
(b) The installation and maintenance of the utilities shall be such to protect the integrity of the
buffer and setback areas as best as reasonably possible.
(c) The utilities shall not impair the quality of the drinking water stream.
(4) Forestry and agricultural activities are exempt from the stream corridor buffer and setback area
provisions of Water Supply Watershed Protection Plans in accordance with the following
conditions:
(a) The activity shall be consistent with best management practices established by the Georgia
Forestry Commission or the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
(b) The activity shall not impair the quality of the drinking water stream.
21-2.2 Minimum Criteria for the Etowah and Upper Chattahoochee Large Water Supply
Watersheds.
(A) A large water supply watershed has 100 square miles or more of land within the drainage basin
upstream of a governmentally owned public drinking water supply intake.
(B) The corridors of all perennial streams in a large water supply watershed tributary to a water supply
reservoir within a seven (7) mile radius of the reservoir boundary are protected by the following
criteria:
(1) A buffer shall be maintained for a distance of 100 feet on both sides of the stream as measured
from the stream banks.
(2) No impervious surface shall be constructed within a 150-foot setback area on both sides of the
stream as measured from the stream banks.
(3) Septic tanks and septic tank drainfields are prohibited in the setback area of ii. above.
(C) New facilities, located within seven (7) miles of a water supply intake or water supply reservoir, which
handle hazardous materials of the types listed in Section 312 of the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act of 1976 (excluding underground storage tanks) and amounts of 10,000 pounds on any
one day or more, shall perform their operations on impervious surfaces and in conformance with any
applicable federal spill prevention requirements or the requirements of the Standard Fire Prevention
Code.
(D) New facilities located outside the seven-mile radius that handle hazardous materials shall perform their
operations on impermeable surfaces having spill and leak collection systems as prescribed by the
Department of Natural Resources.
ARTICLE III, PROTECTED GROUNDWATER RECHARGE AREA DISTRICT:
21-3.1 Permitted Uses. All uses allowed in the underlying zoning districts as established by this Code
except for those listed in prohibited uses below are permitted in a Protected Groundwater Recharge Area Overlay
District subject to the following conditions and standards: