No watershed zoning plans for Perry, Saline counties

More than 10 years of contention over Lake Maumelle watershed protections is now at a standstill, as central Arkansas officials have no plans to further expand regulations in any of the three counties in which the watershed is located.

For the past three years, Central Arkansas Water, Pulaski County officials and residents have debated, proposed and then eventually passed zoning in the county's share of the watershed. Last Tuesday, the Quorum Court approved an amendment to the code proposed by a stakeholder task force more than a year after zoning was approved in the northwest corner of the county.

But John Tynan, a Central Arkansas Water spokesman who is the utility's former watershed protection manager, said the utility has no plans to discuss zoning in the Perry or Saline county portion of the watershed.

"At this time, engaging in dialogue about regulations or anything else in those counties isn't anything that we have discussed," Tynan said.

Zoning worked for Pulaski County, he said, because "it's got a different development pattern, different political environment."

Local leaders have observed development in the northwest corridor of Little Rock inching closer to the watershed, and many, including County Judge Buddy Villines, cited that as a reason for passing the zoning regulations.

Lake Maumelle provides the drinking water for about 400,000 central Arkansans. Efforts to protect its watershed from pollution that could accompany the anticipated increased development have been going on for the past decade.

In Pulaski County, members of the stakeholder task force have indicated to the Quorum Court that they believe the zoning ordinance in Pulaski County can still be further improved and that efforts to protect the watershed from pollution would not end with the zoning code and its amendment.

But Saline County Judge Lanny Fite and Perry County Judge Baylor House said their counties have not been approached by Central Arkansas Water about the watershed in years.

"It has been several years ago -- maybe five years ago -- we had a hearing here about it, and they invited the landowners," Fite said of the utility. But that was it.

"I think at some point they had hoped to come back with an ordinance for Saline County to pass," he said, adding that that never happened.

Saline County has the smallest portion of the watershed out of the three counties, with just a sliver in its northeast corner -- most of which belongs to Deltic Timber Corp., he said.

"I haven't been contacted by any particular group that I recall, except my Quorum Court," House said. "They want the property owners to maintain their property rights."

"Most every constituent I've interacted with has concerns about the watershed," he added. "Their No. 1 concern is their property rights."

Property rights have also been a point of contention in Pulaski County, with concerns from many property owners contributing to the creation of the stakeholder task force. The task force reviewed the county's zoning ordinance for a year before submitting its recommendations in July.

No plans for expanding regulations does not mean that watershed protection efforts won't continue in all three counties, however, Tynan said.

The utility has watershed-related activities that extend into all three counties, including voluntary conservation and easement efforts with landowners, data collection, and fire and forest management practices in utility-owned areas of the watershed.

"Implementation of the zoning code and continued implementation of the subdivision regulations is going to take up a significant amount of time and energy," Tynan said.

Metro on 09/02/2014

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