§ 19-747. Groundwater protection.

(a)

Short title and purpose. This section shall be known as the "groundwater protection ordinance". It is the purpose of this section to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to contamination of the public water supply, and to maximize groundwater protection/pollution control procedures within the service area to the parish water district, and minimize land use restrictions that:

(1)

Protect human life and health;

(2)

Minimize expenditure of public money for costly pollution remediation projects;

(3)

Minimize regulations on land use;

(4)

Minimize business interruptions;

(5)

Insure that the public is provided with a safe potable water supply now and for future generations;

(6)

Protect the natural resources of the state.

(b)

Methods of reducing potential contamination. In order to accomplish its purposes, this section shall employ the following methods:

(1)

Establish a groundwater protection areas, which means that area within a maximum radius of 1,000 feet of a public water well and/or wellfield.

(2)

Inventory and plot on a map all potential sources of contamination within the designated groundwater protection area.

(3)

Frequent monitoring of existing and future activities within the groundwater protection area that have been identified as potential sources of contamination.

(4)

Develop contingency plans for alternative drinking water supplies to help mitigate contamination of the current public water supply.

(5)

Site new wells properly to maximize yield and minimize potential contamination.

(6)

Prohibited installations.

a.

Except as provided in subparagraph b., the following land uses facilities or activities are prohibited within 1,000 feet of any public well:

1.

Automobile maintenance or repair shops.

2.

Battery manufacturing, rebuilding or storage.

3.

Chemical manufacturing, production, sales, storage, and transfer for disposal facilities.

4.

Dry cleaners or laundries.

5.

Electroplating facilities.

6.

Furniture production, repair or refinishing establishments.

7.

Gasoline stations or other refueling facilities using underground tanks.

8.

Medical or veterinary clinics.

9.

Paint sales, production or contracting facilities.

10.

Pest control services where quantities of insecticides are stored and/or mixed.

11.

Photography processing establishments.

b.

Exceptions. Any of the land uses, facilities or activities identified in subparagraph a. lawfully in existence on May 22, 2000, may continue to exist on the parcel upon which it is located.

(7)

Educate public on ground water, where it comes from, how it becomes contaminated, and the ways to protect it.

(8)

Promote the U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program to farmland owners within 2,000 feet of a public water well.

(9)

Submit a copy of this program to the state department of environmental quality, ground water protection division for consent and approval.

(Ord. No. 00-19, §§ A, B, 5-22-00)