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Shady Cove passes property regs Riparian concerns spur restrictions By Melissa Martin SHADY COVE � Riverside dwellers who want to plant a new lawn or pave a path to their boat dock better act quickly before new regulations limit what property owners can do. Property owners can�t remove vegetation, build a structure or pave within 75 feet of the river�s edge under state-required riparian rules that the City of Shady Cove may adopt next year. "We�re trying to balance what�s best for the river with what�s best for the homeowner and it�s a fine line,�� said Roger Hays, a member of the riparian committee who lives on the Rogue River. "Most of us would rather not have any restrictions.�� Shady Cove may be one of the first river communities in Southern Oregon to create a riparian ordinance. The Department of Land Conservation and Development has given the city a deadline of Spring 2001 to adopt riparian guidelines. "Everybody in the United States is required to not violate water-quality laws,�� said Jeffrey Weber, salmon recovery specialist for the Department of Land Conservation and Development. "We�ve come to a place in Oregon where we�re finding that a lot of bodies of water don�t meet federal standards, especially with temperature,�� Weber said. When property owners cut down trees and bushes to plant lawns they eliminate shade to keep water cool for fish, he said. Furthermore, trees along the river banks provide nutrients for insects that fish feed on. "The Clean Water Act makes us all responsible for water quality and fish habitat,�� he said. Riparian rules won�t mean that homeowners have to rip out lawns; existing landscapes, buildings and pavements would be grandfathered in, said Dick Converse, senior planner for Rogue Valley Council of Governments. The greatest impact could be to the estimated 26 vacant river lots left in Shady Cove, a city with six miles of river flowing through it, he said. "In the future, as riverfront property becomes even more of a premium, smaller homes along the Rogue River will be taken out and replaced with mansions and the disturbance of the riparian areas may be great.�� A replacement home or business might be limited to building to the same footprint as the former one, added Jerry L�Estrange, city administrator. The city�s riparian committee, which is made up of five residents who live on the Rogue River, should write their own riparian ordinance before the federal government writes it for them, he said. "There�s a push to designate the Rogue River wild and scenic and if that happens, there will be a 300-foot minimum setback,�� L�Estrange said. If the restricted corridor were any wider than the proposed 75 feet, the government might as well take private land, said river dweller Chuck Johnisee. "It would eliminate you from doing anything on your property,�� he said. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA