(a) The Village of West Liberty shall designate a Watershed Protection Area in areas upstream of the Village for purposes of:
(1) Flooding prevention and mitigation of flood damage to the Village.
(2) Protecting the Village’s drinking water supply.
(3) Providing outdoor recreation opportunities for Village residents and the general public, and
(4) Other beneficial purposes.
(b) Within the designated watershed protection area and for any of the above-listed purposes, the Village may:
(1) Acquire lands by outright purchase, or acquire development rights through purchase of easements on privately-owned parcels, or
(2) Provide incentive or cost-share payments for agricultural and other landowners and operators to adopt recognized conservation practices conducive to the above purposes, provided the landowner or operator has a bona fide conservation plan in place for the lands in question through a state or federal natural resources agency.
(c) Acquisition of lands or interest in lands by the Village in the Watershed Protection Area shall be subject to the following:
(1) The Village shall have prepared a conservation and management plan (or plans) for any such lands; said plan to be prepared by a qualified natural resource professional employed by the Logan County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), a conservation agency of the State of Ohio or the United States federal government, or by an appropriately-qualified private contractor.
(2) The conservation and management plan shall be updated when new lands or easements are acquired and shall be reviewed and updated at least once every five (5) years.
(3) Lands and easement areas acquired may be maintained in any suitable natural or semi-natural vegetative cover type per the management plan, to include forest, woodland, grassland, or wetland, but may not be cultivated or developed for purposes or in ways not conducive to the purpose of the Watershed Protection Area.
(4) Conservation practices recommended by State of Ohio or federal natural resources agencies may be implemented on the acquired or easement lands so long as the practices are conducive to the purposes of the Watershed Protection Area.
(5) Acquired and easement lands in the Watershed Protection Area shall be open to the public for non-disruptive and non-destructive outdoor recreation purposes such as fishing, hiking, birding, hunting, and paddling so long as management and regulation of these purposes is outlined in the management plan.
(c) The Village of West Liberty Watershed Protection Area is hereby designated to include the following three United States Geological Survey hydrologic units:
(1) 050800011501 Macochee Creek.
(2) 050800011502 Headwaters Mad River.
(3) 050800011504 Glady Creek - Mad River.
(Ord. 2023-11. Passed 8-28-23.)