§ 13.16.110. Watercourse protection.

Every person owning property through which a watercourse passes, or such person's lessee or tenant, shall keep and maintain in a manner satisfactory to the Environmental Services Manager that part of the watercourse within the property reasonably free of trash, debris, excessive vegetation, and other obstacles which would pollute, contaminate, or significantly retard the flow of water through the watercourse; shall maintain existing privately owned structures within or adjacent to a watercourse, so that such structures will not become a hazard to the use, function, or physical integrity of the watercourse; and shall not remove healthy riparian vegetation beyond that actually necessary for said maintenance of watercourse, nor remove said vegetation in such a manner as to increase the vulnerability of the watercourse to erosion.

No person shall place any loose or unconsolidated material along the side of or within a watercourse or so close to the side as to cause a diversion of the flow, or to cause a probability of such material being carried away by storm waters passing through such watercourse.

No person shall commit or cause to be committed any of the following acts, unless a written permit has first been obtained from the Environmental Services Manager. (Acts or work that is covered under a private job permit obtained in accordance with the procedures and requirements of Section 12.16.040, Section 12.16.050 and Section 12.20.020 of this code and acts or work covered under a valid creek protection permit and/or valid grading permit shall not be subject to aforementioned separate permit):

A.

Discharge concentrated storm water into or connect any storm water pipe or storm water channel to a watercourse;

B.

Modify the natural flow of water in a watercourse;

C.

Carry out development within a watercourse floodway; or within twenty (20) feet from the top of bank of a watercourse;

D.

Deposit in, or remove any material from a watercourse including its banks, except as required for necessary maintenance of watercourse; or

E.

Construct, alter, enlarge, connect to, change, or remove any structure, or alter the stream course or profile in a watercourse.

In addition to the provisions stated herein, every person owning a property through which a watercourse passes, or such person's lessee or tenant, shall be subject to the provisions of Section 9.16.040, Watercourses, of this code and to any amendment or revision thereof, except if a private job permit is obtained in accordance with the procedures and requirements of Section 12.16.040, Section 12.16.050 and Section 12.20.020 of this code or for acts or work covered under a valid creek protection permit and/or valid grading permit.

(Ord. 12024 § 1 (part), 1997)