Avalon Municipal Code Art. 9 Buffering of Channels

[§ 2, Ord. 1143-15, eff. December 17, 2015]

(a) It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, to remove vegetation in the channel, bed, on the bank, or within a buffer of 25 feet of any stream, wash, arroyo, or channel without written approval from the City.

(b) City approval of vegetation removal within the channel, bed, bank, or buffer of a stream, wash, arroyo, or channel shall be evaluated on minimizing impacts to these resources in the following order of preference:

(1) Avoiding the impact altogether by not removing the vegetation.

(2) Minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the vegetation removal.

(c) Where avoidance cannot occur, mitigation shall be performed in accordance with the following (in order of priority):

(1) Mitigating the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected environment;

(2) Compensating for the impact by replacing the vegetation in other areas of the channel, bed, bank or buffer.