Water runoff creates need to review development rules

Published Thursday, March 27, 2008

By Brandon Evans

On Monday, Wise County commissioners formed a new committee to look at revising some of the existing county rules and regulations regarding subdivision developments.

"We are having an abundance of runoff from all the new developments and subdivisions in the county," said county engineer Chad Davis. "We could be facing potential, future lawsuits from all this runoff headed downstream.

"Anytime there is new growth and pavement and rooftops, it's going to increase the amount of runoff. Since we are growing, we will continue to produce more and more runoff."

Davis said the increased runoff could produce several problems for those downstream, including increased erosion and flooding.

Also, considering much of Wise County is above the recharge zone for the Trinity Aquifer, excess runoff prevents enough water from entering the recharge areas. An ongoing study into the state of the aquifer by the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District has found that the aquifer needs all the help it can get, as some area wells have plummeted in the past decade.

Davis said it is too early in the process to detail any of the specific changes to be made to the existing list of rules and regulations regarding development in the county. The rules were last revised in 2005.

The committee includes Davis, public works director Tom Goode, Precinct 2 Commissioner Kevin Burns and Precinct 3 Commissioner Mikel Richardson.

Davis said they will consult with additional outside parties to help revise the rules and regulations in a timely manner.

"We've got a good set of rules and regulation already in place," Davis said, "but we're just looking at making some improvements."

Creating a master plan

Commissioners also moved forward with the creation of a master plan for all present and future county facilities.

By a unanimous vote of 4-0 (Richardson was absent) commissioners authorized the county to enter a written contract with Wiginton, Hooker, Jeffry, PC, an architectural firm based in Plano.

For a cost of $97,400, plus additional expenses not to exceed $4,500, the firm will complete a plan "outlining the use of existing and proposed new facilities to best serve the citizens of Wise County through the year 2030."

The plan will take eight months to one year to complete.

"This is a very detailed process, but it will tell us everything we want to know," said County Judge Bill McElhaney. "It also may tell us some things we don't want to know."

The scope of the project covers four phases. The first phase works with all elected officials and members of each county department to determine overall needs and goals. WHJ will also gather data on all existing facilities.

The second phase develops standards for jail areas, courtrooms, offices and all other county facilities. Population projections will also be considered.

The third phase is the "planning phase." WHJ will make recommendations for the best use of existing buildings and what future buildings might be needed to accommodate the county.

The final phase involves a public presentation and the reasons behind the recommendations. WHJ will also assist the county to help facilitate a bond election if necessary to fund the proposed renovations and new construction.

n Commissioners also decided not to reinstate an outdoor burn ban. The ban has been on and off again several times during the current wildfire season. The most recent ban expired last Thursday.

Over the weekend, local fire departments responded to 14 grass fires. Sheriff David Walker said most of these grass fires were small and sparked by burn barrels.

The largest fire occurred in the southern part of the county and ignited approximately 50 round hay bales.

"We will continue to tell our people using Wise Eyes to pay attention," Walker said.

The county has also decided to discontinue its rental of a tractor to help in fire control. Since the massive Paradise fire of Jan. 29, the county has rented a tractor at a cost of $4,800 per month to help control additional fires of such a magnitude.

With the burn ban no longer in place, Goode said he expects to see less illegal dumping throughout the county. With people unable to burn their trash in barrels, he's seen a spike in residents dumping their trash along roadsides and bridges.

The county has almost completed its cleanup of the Paradise fire, Goode said. The public works department has helped in cleaning out areas affected by the devastating fire that displaced eight families.

- The commissioners also approved spending $83,740 on a new truck tractor.

- The county is still in the process of finding a radio engineer to assist it in revamping its antiquated emergency radio system.

- Burns has been elected to the Urban Counties Policy Committee. The statewide body has considerable influence in legislation affecting urban areas and public policy.