Can a citys, countys, or towns comprehensive plan be a useful tool for ground water protection?
• The comprehensive plan is a logical starting point for ground water protection since it provides the foundation for all programs and land use management tools at the local level. It sets forth goals and policies to guide future land use and development policies of a community. In the event that a community’s ground water protection program is ever challenged, one of the best defenses will be a well formulated comprehensive plan which provides the basis and rationale for the challenged action. • Virginia law requires that local governments prepare comprehensive plans and update them at least once every five years. Provisions were added to the code in 1988 and 1990 to indicate that jurisdictions shall study matters such as ground water and geology in preparing their plan and may subsequently adopt provisions to protect the ground water resource. These provisions apply both to private wells serving individual households and businesses, and to various types of public wells. • Area-wide p
