HOLMDEL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS

UPDATES TO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS
(Posted Oct. 10, 2002)

The Holmdel Township Committee is considering updates to the Township’s Resource Management Regulations. The updates are intended to make the regulations easier to understand, more specific, and measurable. Most of the revisions are simple wording changes. The primary modifications are to the guidelines for stream corridors and steep slopes. The changes will enhance the environmental protection of these critical areas, and allow reasonable land use without undue restrictions at the same time.  Generally, exceptions to the new regulations will require a variance instead of a waiver.  The changes would apply to new construction for major subdivisions and some types of minor subdivisions and site plans.  They do not affect existing homes or home alteration projects.  The proposed changes are modifications of the Resource Management Regulations within Holmdel’s Development Regulations (Chapter XXX of the Town code, Sections 30.116.6 and 30.116.7).

Streams are a critical part of the local environment. Streams provide the benefits of drinking water, scenic beauty, recreational possibilities, wildlife habitat, and a rural character. Holmdel is home to eight major stream systems, including a number of creeks and tributaries. Three of these systems drain into the Swimming River Reservoir, which provides our drinking water. Holmdel’s stream systems directly provide one third of the water to the reservoir.

 The stream corridor is the stream channel itself, and the land on either side that is within the 100-year floodplain. The stream corridor also provides benefits and needs protection. The vegetation in a stream corridor slows runoff and filters the water to remove sediment, nutrients, and pollution before they enter the stream. The stream corridor also helps maintain an adequate flow of filtered groundwater to underground aquifers. Protected stream corridors also help reduce stream bank erosion and vegetation helps to keep the stream shaded to prevent the water from becoming too warm. Warm water in the streams can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, which is needed for aquatic life.

 There are numerous streams in Holmdel that are impaired or impeded. These conditions contribute to erosion, siltation, and decreased water quality. In some cases, property owners attempt to extend their property lines to the stream edge, and disturb the vegetation by clearing, mowing, etc. This significantly reduces the stream corridor’s ability to filter the water and moderate the water flow.

 The stream corridor buffer is the area on either side of a stream corridor intended to protect the stream corridor. There are several different categories of stream corridor protection, such as sediment control and reservoir protection. In the proposed Township regulation changes, the width of the stream corridor buffer will be 100 feet. Many other townships in New Jersey also require 100 feet, including Aberdeen Township. According to a 1989 Cook College study, the appropriate width for a stream corridor buffer should be 25 to 300 feet. The proposed regulation changes also include the ability to use “buffer averaging,” which provides flexibility to the land owner and/or developer in planning changes to a lot while still meeting the intent of the regulations.

A steep slope is simply a steep area on a piece of property. Steep slopes are common in northern Monmouth County. They provide a number of benefits to the environment and property owners, such as reducing unwanted noise and light, providing a visual barrier between development areas, and providing a pleasing, distinctive setting. Disturbance to steep slopes or removing the vegetation from steep slopes can increase erosion, increase storm water run-off, and cause landslides. A disturbed steep slope will not only increase the amount of water run-off, but the rate (speed) of the run-off as well. Faster-moving water increases the erosion downstream.

The current Resource Management Regulations place restrictions on how much of a steep slope can be disturbed (for example, re-graded), depending on how steep the slope actually is. These restrictions are essentially unchanged in the proposed revisions to the regulations. The major improvement for the steep slopes regulation is the requirement that topographical maps with 2-foot elevation intervals be submitted with development applications. This will help landowners, developers, and the Township Planning Board more easily determine when there is a steep slope to consider. The proposed regulations also restrict the use of retaining walls and the creation of artificial steep slopes.

In addition to protecting the local environment by promoting reasonable use, these changes to the Development Regulations help to streamline the development application process.