Sunday, September 25, 2005

Livingston County

Putnam preserves wetlands

Township approves funds for new ordinance to ensure areas smaller than 5 acres are protected.

By Phil Foley / Special to The Detroit News

Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

PUTNAM TOWNSHIP -- Building in this community could become significantly more difficult for some landowners next year.

Township trustees have given LSL Planning Inc. of Grand Rapids the green light to prepare a new ordinance that would grant protection to wetlands smaller than five acres. Currently the state Department of Environmental Quality only protects wetlands larger than five acres, lakes or moving waters.

"We're trying to be proactive rather than reactive," said Township Trustee Kevin Dobis.

"Local ordinances are really vital," said Laura Rubins, executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council. "We strongly advocated them."

Rubins pointed to the recent flooding in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as an indication of the importance of wetlands. Closer to home, she said the flooding along the Huron River in Hamburg Township two years ago was due to wetlands loss.

"So many of our wetlands have been filled in the last 50 years, it's been a snowball effect," Dobis said.

"Wetlands and floodplains are extensions of the river," said Rubins. "They are part of the river and when we lose them we lose the capacity to retain storm water."

The Putnam Township Board voted 5-2 last week with Clerk Sally Guyon and Trustee Tom Benedetti dissenting, to pay LSL Planning Inc., $2,100 to prepare a wetlands ordinance.

"I think we're getting too regulatory," said Guyon before voting against the proposal.

"There's a lot of stuff here I don't understand and this is an ordinance," said Benedetti.

"There has to be a minimum," he said.

Township Treasurer Dick McCloskey suggested that if the township tries to extend protection to wetlands covering less than an acre, "you're really asking for trouble."

"There are appropriate places to build and there are inappropriate places to build," said Rubins. "You can say wetlands are not valuable and build on them, but then you're going to pay the price."

That price, she said, includes habitat loss as well as an increase in flood hazard.

Although the township's land use maps identify wetlands larger than five acres, it's unclear how many smaller wetlands there are.

"Pat (Carney, the township's zoning administrator) is not qualified to determine what a wetland is and half the DEQ is not qualified," said Benedetti.

The township's existing ordinances prohibit development within 50 feet of a wetland larger than five acres.

"We're not trying to be radical," said Dobis. He said landowners who have wetlands on their properties won't be penalized, if they want to develop. However, he said, their projects are likely to have a higher percentage of open space.

Steve Van Steenhuyse, a senior planner with LSL, said he expects to have a draft ordinance to the township's planning commission in about a month. "We're not looking to reinvent the wheel," he said, adding that the DEQ already has a model ordinance for townships.

Phil Foley is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.