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Staff presents updated wellhead protection ordinance and maps; commission asks to view maps before final action
Summary
County utilities and planning staff briefed the commission on a draft update to the wellhead protection and special protection-area ordinance and maps. Commissioners supported moving the draft forward but asked to review the sensitive maps in staff offices before final consideration by the Board of County Commissioners.
Hernando County utilities staff and the planning division presented a draft update to the county's wellhead protection and special protection-area ordinance and accompanying maps. The presentation explained the ordinance's purpose — to limit land uses that could contaminate public water-supply wells — and described the zones used in the maps, the prohibited uses in each protection area, and exemptions for existing nonconforming uses.
Utilities director Gordon Donk (presenting as the utilities lead) said the proposed updates reflect improved groundwater-flow modeling by the regional water management district (SWFWMD/SwiftMud) and that the updated maps identify protection-area 1 (shorter travel time, higher protection) and protection-area 2 (longer travel time) for higher-capacity wells. Staff said the combined mapped areas would affect more than 20,000 properties across the county in their current draft and that the maps include sensitive infrastructure details; staff therefore proposed making the maps available for public inspection at county offices rather than publishing them broadly online.
Commissioners asked about enforcement and the status of existing uses that do not meet the new prohibitions; staff said the draft ordinance includes grandfathering for existing nonconforming uses but would prohibit expansion or new incompatible uses in mapped areas. Commissioners asked whether the maps would be updated as new wells are added; staff said adopting the maps by resolution would allow the county to update and publish new maps over time and that final ordinance language would come back to the commission and be submitted to the Board of County Commissioners. Several commissioners said they wanted to review the maps in the utilities office before formal BOCC action because the maps affect many properties and uses.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the ordinance; staff will incorporate the commission's feedback and present the ordinance, maps (for inspection) and proposed resolution during the BOCC process for adoption.
