Linganore Watershed Stream
Protection Ordinance

-Submitted by Tim Goodfellow
Frederick County Division of Planning

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Frederick County’s Board of County Commissioners voted approval of the Linganore Watershed Stream Protection Ordinance No. 07-24-464 on July 10, 2007.  The regulation became effective July 20, 2007 following the customary 10-day waiting period.  The ordinance was designed to provide enhanced protection for sensitive waterways and water bodies by maintaining certain distances between streams, lakes and grading, clearing or construction activities on new subdivision lots.  It is based in part on the corresponding slope or grade of the adjacent stream valley.

On March 21, 2006, the Board of county Commissioners approved the Linganore Action Plan, the implementation component of the Linganore Source Water Protection Plan (accepted by the Board in November 2004), a watershed management plan created to protect the water quality of Lake Linganore, a drinking water reservoir impaired by sediments and nutrients, by addressing land activities in the watershed that can negatively impact Lake Linganore.  

For more information on the value of vegetated streamside forest buffers, see archive article, The “Science” of Riparian Buffers by Shannon Moore at http://www.watershed-alliance.com/mcwa_study15.html  

The Linganore Watershed Stream Protection Ordinance is available from the Frederick County Planning Department.  Contact Tim Goodfellow for additional information at tgoodfellow@fredco-md.net or 301 600-2508.