A. Areas of Orting are subject to periodic inundation and channel migration which results in loss of life and property, health, and safety hazards, disruption of commerce and governmental services, extraordinary public expenditures for protection and relief from flooding and channel migration, and impairment of the tax base, all of which adversely affect the public health, safety, and general welfare.
B. When floodplains and watersheds are developed without taking appropriate care and precautions, flood heights, frequencies, and velocities increase, causing a greater threat to humans, damage to property, destruction of natural floodplain functions, and adverse impacts to water quality and habitat.
C. Rivers, streams, lakes, estuarine and marine areas and their floodplains are major elements of healthy aquatic and riparian habitats and conveyance of floodwaters. If watersheds, rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, floodplains and other systems are not viewed holistically as biological and geomorphologic units, it can lead to serious degradation of habitat and increased flood hazards to people and human development.
D. Over the years, natural processes have evolved that manage floodwaters and channel flows in the most effective and efficient manner. Disruption of these processes by altering land cover, stream channels, wetlands, and other water bodies leads to increased flood hazards, loss of life and property, threats to public health, and loss of habitat. (Ord. 2017-1006, 2-22-2017)