Consent Agenda 2

• Board Meeting Date: 1/22/2008
• Description: WPFM Section - Consent Agenda - En-block Designation and Approval of FEMA Letters of Map Revisions
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Attachment - Supporting Information
Consent Agenda Item 2 - En-Bloc Designation andApproval of FEMA Letters of Map
Revisions
SUMMARY
Consent Agenda Item 2 includes a series of 19 floodplain map revisions proposed for CWCB action.
Staff is requesting Board designation and approval for these items.
Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) applications that are submitted to FEMA undergo a rigorous
technical review by FEMA and its national contractor for completeness and accuracy. Legally
speaking, Letters of Map Revision effectively become incorporated into the regulatory floodplains,
by letter, upon completion of this review process and public notification.
In general, CWCB staff performs technical reviews of Floodplain information to assure the Board that
the information is in compliance with the requirements of the CWCB's "Rules and Regulations for
Regulatory Floodplains in Colorado," 2 CCR 408-1 (Rules). Furthermore, Sections 31-23-301 and 30-
28-111, Colorado Revised Statutes, state that legislative bodies of local jurisdictions may provide
zoning regulations for land uses on or along any storm or floodwater runoff channel or basin only after
designation and approval by the CWCB. In addition, Section 37-60-106(1)(c), Colorado Revised
Statutes, directs the CWCB to designate and approve storm or floodwater runoff channels or basins
and to make such designations available to legislative bodies of local jurisdictions.
Rule 13D of the recently updated Rules states:
Map Revisions to Flood Insurance Rate Maps or Flood Hazard Boundary Maps.
Floodplain map revisions (e.g. FEMA Letters of Map Revision) will be designated twice
annually by the CWCB during a regularly scheduled Board meeting and will not be subject
to a full technical review by the CWCB staff.
It was determined that because a LOMR goes through a comprehensive review process by FEMA and
its technical contractor to determine if the document meets or exceeds all technical requirements set
forth by the Rules, it would be redundant for CWCB staff to undergo a similar review process. For
this reason, it is assumed that a LOMR issued by FEMA has met all requirements for completeness
and accuracy set forth by the Rules, and it will be presented to the Board twice annually in batch
format for designation without formal staff review.
The CWCB's designation and approvals greatly assist local communities in meeting the statutory
requirements of the State and the regulatory requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program.
Floodplain information is broadly categorized as detailed or approximate using the following
definitions. Detailed floodplain information means floodplain information prepared using topographic
base maps, hydrologic analyses, and hydraulic calculations to arrive at precise water surface profiles
and floodplain delineations suitable for making land use decisions under statutorily authorized zoning
powers. Approximate Floodplain information means Floodplain information prepared using a
significantly reduced level of detail to arrive at floodplain (hazard delineation) without water surface
profiles. CWCB staff performs technical reviews on various types of reports and maps for approval
and designation by the Board.