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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
The Joint Comprehensive Plan States It Best

"The cultural reality of present day Morgan County is that of a place where the historic development patterns characteristic of the South have been remarkably well preserved in a variety of architecturally distinctive structures, traditionally designed small towns, viable agricultural establishments, and unspoiled rural landscapes. Countless individuals, both Morgan County citizens as well as visitors to the community, have reiterated this idea.  The Comprehensive Plan repeatedly articulates the mandate to preserve the rural heritage of Morgan County as we bear the development pressures from the communities around us."
Resource Preservation Advisory Board
    JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 
    3.1 Watersheds
    All of Morgan County lies within the greater Oconee River watershed. The county is also within the Upper Oconee Basin. The Oconee River only touches the far eastern edge of Morgan County in the form of Lake Oconee. There are two principal watersheds within Morgan County (Map 3.1). The first, the Apalachee River watershed, includes the bulk of the eastern edge of the county. The second is the Hard Labor Creek watershed. Both of these watersheds are important water-supply watersheds for Morgan County. Other sub-watersheds are Sandy Creek (water supply watershed), Lake Oconee, Sugar Creek, Indian Creek, and Little River.

    Assessment
    In the last ten years, the majority of population growth has been on the periphery of the county three of its four sides. On most of the southern edge of the county there has been no appreciable growth, though the highest percentage of growth has been in the southeast corner of the county, below I-20 and near Lake Oconee. In absolute terms, the majority of the growth has been along the Lake Oconee edge of the county and the western edge closest to Atlanta on I-20. The northeastern edge of the county by the Apalachee River and the far southern edge of the county have also experienced significant growth. The historic core of the county around Madison and Rutledge saw only modest growth, with declines in some of Madison’s older neighborhoods. Thus, growth in the last ten years had the potential to impact almost every possible water basin by being widely dispersed throughout the county. Growth and development within Morgan County’s water supply watershed areas pose a potential threat to water quality. In light of the past, recent and projected population growth in Morgan County and municipalities, it is of vital importance that measures be taken to protect water
    quality from the damaging effects of erosion, sedimentation and pollution. Morgan County and all municipalities must work to enact and enforce regulations to protect and preserve watersheds and water quality.

    3.3 Wetlands
    Freshwater wetlands are defined as those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, under normal circumstances, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. The ecological parameters for designating wetlands include hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and hydrological conditions that involve a temporary or permanent source of water to cause soil saturation.

    The wetlands in Morgan County have been mapped by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using aerial photography. As one might expect, the majority of wetlands are located in the bottomlands of the county along all major creeks and rivers. Many of these linear riverbank wetlands stretch for miles and are extensive, interconnected and relatively contiguous. The major wetlands are along Little Creek, Big Indian Creek, Little River, Shoal Creek, Holgers Creek, Pole Ridge Creek, Hunnicut Creek, Rawlings Branch, Rice Creek, Hard Labor Creek, Big Sandy Creek, and the Apalachee River (Map 3.3).

    Assessment
    Wetlands are important for several reasons. They provide a major habitat for all kinds of wildlife and provide a major natural filtration system which protects the water quality of an area. Their existence is also desirable for the quantity of water storage they provide in times of flood and backup reserves in times of drought. Thus wetlands protect and provide for the human community surrounding them. For these and other reasons, every effort should be made to preserve Morgan County’s contiguous system of wetlands to enable these areas to perform their positive functions even more efficiently, effectively, and also to a much greater degree. Wetlands protection ordinances and enforcement of wetlands protection through the development review process must be given a high priority in local policy.
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                                                                                                                                                                                                          "God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage."
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