Legal Documents of Maryville
Code of Maryville
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Code of Maryville
Title 19 Stormwater
Chapter 5 Vegetated Buffer Zone And Stormwater Quality Management
Title 19 Stormwater
Chapter 5 Vegetated Buffer Zone And Stormwater Quality Management
Maryville
Title 19 : Stormwater
Chapter 5 : Vegetated Buffer Zone And Stormwater Quality Management
19-514 : Additional vegetation requirements for water quality buffers.
- Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the water quality buffer must be maintained in a vegetated state in accordance with the minimum vegetated targets defined for the buffer and the requirements of this section.
- Existing water quality buffer may be restored or improved in accordance with the requirements of this chapter without prior approval of a buffer enhancement plan by the director of engineering and public works, or his/her designee.
- Property owners of existing water quality buffers that have been disturbed or do not meet, or do not have the potential to meet through natural vegetative succession, the vegetative targets for buffer areas that are defined in this chapter shall be required to restore or improve the buffer area in accordance with this chapter.
- Vegetative improvement of water quality buffer areas shall be required for buffer areas that do not conform to the minimum vegetative target at the time of development or redevelopment. Inner zone areas that can be characterized as an early successional forest, consisting of a combination of grasses, vines, shrubs, tree saplings and possibly even a few mature trees, may not require vegetative improvement, provided that the vegetation appears healthy, provides adequate ground coverage, and consists largely of native and non-invasive species.
- Property owners of water quality buffer areas that require vegetative improvement shall submit a buffer enhancement plan prior to establishment of the buffer. The buffer enhancement plan shall be submitted to the director of engineering and public works, or his/her designee, for approval prior to establishment of the buffer with the WQMP and may be submitted as part of a larger landscaping plan.
- Buffer enhancement plans shall be prepared in accordance with the requirements set forth in the policy manual.
- Establishment of a water quality buffer must adhere to the following conditions:
- All areas/zones of the buffer being established must be planted, at a minimum, with vegetation that is appropriate to achieve the vegetative targets stated in this chapter.
- All areas/zones of the buffer being established must be stabilized against erosion.
- If the outer zone of a stream buffer and the buffer around a pond or a lake will consist largely of grasses after enhancement, seeding must be performed at a rate/density sufficient to provide healthy, dense, permanent vegetative cover for one hundred percent (100%) of the buffer area within one (1) growing season. Mulch, pebbles, wood chips and other non-vegetative ground cover is not acceptable for buffer enhancement.
- No trees shall be planted in a utility easement.
- No species may comprise more than one-third (1/3) of the total planted trees or shrubs.
- Seedlings/trees must be guaranteed at a seventy-five percent (75%) survivorship.
- Non-native species must be removed from the water quality buffer area. For water quality buffers on streams, where the removal of such vegetation would cause a reduction in the amount of stream canopy by fifty percent (50%) or more, revegetation with native plants is required to provide the cover of the previous canopy at a minimum. For areas where such vegetation removal would cause a reduction in the amount of streambank vegetation, revegetation with native plants is required to return the amount of vegetative cover to its previous state, at a minimum. To reduce the potential for streambank erosion, revegetation measures along streambanks must include sufficient erosion control measures, such as turf reinforcement mats, erosion control blankets, and straw wattles, etc., to stabilize the area in the short- and long-term.
- To increase the chances for the success and health of the buffer area, the plant species, density, placement, and diversity proposed in buffer enhancement plans must be appropriate for stream, wetland, and pond/lake buffers to achieve the vegetative target that is defined for the buffer through natural succession, given the local site conditions and use of the upland property. Proposed planting and long-term maintenance practices must also be appropriate and performed properly.
- Vegetation mortality must be accounted for all planting densities that are proposed in buffer enhancement plans.
- One (1) year after completion of the restoration or enhancement activity, the portion of the performance bond related to the buffer enhancement plan can be released; provided, that the buffer area has been restored or enhanced as required, that soils within the buffer area are stable and not eroding, and that buffer vegetation is healthy and growing as expected. (1999 Code, § 19-714)
Date Last Updated: 12/22/2025
Codification Date: 06/01/2024
Officials at Date of Last Codification:
Mayor - Andy White
Vice-Mayor - Fred Metz
Council Member - Sarah Herron
Council Member - Tommy Hunt
Council Member - Drew Miles
City Manager - Greg McClain
Assistant City Manager - Kevin Stoltenberg
City Recorder/Financial Services Director - Sherri Phillips
City Attorney - Melanie Davis