Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 04/07/2014

Home

Floodplains and Floodplain Management manage land uses in the mapped floodplain. The community's floodplain management regulations must include the minimum federal and state regulations, but can be more restrictive. Most communities adopt a state model that has incorporated the minimum federal and state regulations. The minimum federal and state regulations are enforced in the 1-percent chance (100- year) floodplain that is mapped on the FIRM for the community. Local zoning regulations also identify permitted land uses in the floodway and flood fringe portions of the 1-percent chance (100-year) floodplain. In the floodway portion, high -velocity floodwaters are expected so most types of development are prohibited. In the flood fringe portion of the floodplain, where the backwater or low -velocity floodwaters occur, development is allowed if it meets standards such as elevating on fill or floodproofing to reduce damage when there is a flood. Check with your local zoning authority to find out which floodplains are regulated. Local zoning authorities often have more restrictive regulations than the federal and state minimum. They might regulate activities in the 500-year floodplain, instead of just the 1-percent chance (100-year) floodplain, especially for essential services such as hospitals, fire stations, and prisons, or for locating hazardous waste sites. They also may have a local water plan that identifies the local ponds and low spots that would be flooded as a result of an intense rain and may require houses to stay above those areas. The FEMA maps usually show floodplains associated with rivers, streams, and large lakes, but the community may also regulate these locally identified areas as high flooding risks. Sample FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Flood insurance is required in shaded areas. Flood insurance is available for any location in or out of the shaded area if the community is a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program. Sometimes areas above the flood elevation are shown as flood prone on these maps. This is usually due to lack of detailed elevation information to accurately locate bound- aries of the floodplain. FEMA has processes (letter of map amendment; letter of map revision based on fill) to apply for corrections to the map when better information is available for the site. Flood insurance requirements If you intend to obtain a loan from a federally regulated lender (like most mortgage lenders), the lender MUST require you to have flood insurance if your home is in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)—the 1-percent chance (100-year) floodplain. Lenders face penalties and fines if properties in these areas mapped as flood prone are not covered by a flood insurance policy. If your community is enrolled in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), you can buy flood insurance. More than 93 percent of Minnesotans are in communities participating in the NFIP and can buy flood insurance. A common myth is that you can only buy flood insurance if you are in the floodplain on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The fact is that anyone in a participating community can buy flood insurance, and that the flood insurance is much less expen- sive if you are not in a floodplain mapped by FEMA. Minnesota DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DNR Contact Information DNR Waters website lists Area Hydrologists: www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters DNR Waters in St. Paul: 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4032 (651) 259-5700 DNR Information Center Twin Cities: (651) 296-6157 Minnesota toll free: 1-888-646-6367 Telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD): (651) 296-5484 TDD toll free: 1-800-657-3929 This information is available in an alternative format on request. Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Minne- sota Department of Natural Resources is available regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, age, or disability. Discrimination inquiries should be sent to Minnesota DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4031; or the Equal Opportunity Office, Department ofthe Interior, Washington, DC 20240. September 2006 Page 2 of 2