With data center proposals in the Lehigh Valley, environmental group has plan to protect waterways
PennFuture has developed a model ordinance to help Lehigh Valley and other Pennsylvania municipalities protect waterways with riparian buffers as data centers and other large developments expand. The guidance is intended to reduce stormwater runoff, flooding, erosion and pollution while balancing environmental protections with private property rights.
PennFuture has created a model ordinance and guidebook to help Pennsylvania municipalities establish riparian-buffer protections near streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. The initiative comes as the Lehigh Valley faces proposals for large data centers and continued warehouse development, both of which can increase stormwater runoff because of extensive roofs, parking lots and other impervious surfaces.
PennFuture staff attorney Brigitte Meyer said the buffers can provide pollution reduction, flood protection, erosion control and wildlife habitat while lowering municipal water-treatment and flood-mitigation costs. The model ordinance scales buffer requirements to project size and allows waivers for properties that would be disproportionately affected. Existing structures would be exempt, and the guidance is intended to fill gaps in state protections, particularly for waterways and wetland areas not covered by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection requirements.