Sussex County discusses tighter buffers, sediment controls and new enforcement tied to turbidity testing

County engineering staff presented a package of proposed changes to Sussex County’s buffer and stormwater code at the Aug. 19 council meeting, saying the revisions would concentrate protections where runoff and sediment risk is highest and create clearer guidance for applicants earlier in the review process.

Project Manager Madlars said the update would remove some averaging guardrails that currently allow applicants to relocate required buffer area and instead give staff authority to locate concentrated buffers "in the concentration areas" where grading or topography will concentrate runoff. He said the revisions would also require use of existing statewide practices — such as extended detention (a 48‑hour functional equivalent) and other measures — as a sediment trap prior to ground disturbance in higher‑risk sites.

"We will write into the code that this is where you must…