320 Clay School Rd, Ephrata, PA 17522

Agricultural District

Agriculture in Clay Township and Lancaster County is a special non-replaceable resource which needs to be preserved for the benefit of the world and the nation, as well as the County and this Township. This is true because: The soil and climate of this County and Township enable its farmers to produce the largest value of agricultural goods of any non-irrigated county in the nation. Lancaster County has the greatest concentration of Class I prime agricultural soils of any county in the nation. Over fifty percent of the non-forest soils in Clay Township are Class I, II, and III prime agricultural soils.; The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has, by provisions in the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, special tax assessments and other legislation, publications of various department, and statements by top officials, shown an interest in preserving agricultural land.; The Lancaster County Planning Commission has determined by its Comprehensive Plan, that there is more than sufficient land available in the county for residential, commercial and industrial needs without infringing upon the agricultural areas. Further, the Clay Township Comprehensive Plan notes that most residential, commercial and industrial development in the Township shall be limited to a corridor along Legislative Route 322 and in small urban villages between Route 322 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. There is sufficient land available in this part of the Township for residential, commercial and industrial needs, without infringing upon the agricultural areas.; The Clay Township Act 537 Plan and the Clay Township Comprehensive Plan specifically acknowledge that the areas where good farmland exists in Clay Township contain, as a general rule, poor soils for installation of subsurface sewage disposal. Further, malfunctions of subsurface systems in these areas have shown a need to limit any kind of growth that would result in sewage disposal problems.