BOARD00583

• Board Meeting Date: 3/21/2002
• Description: Flood Section - Proposed Floodplain Mapping Program
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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floodplain maps prepared many years ago becoming outdated,
changes to the floodplain resulting from large floods,
changes to the floodplain resulting from human activities in the floodplain,
changes in engineering and mapping techniques and/or data allowing improved
accuracy in studies,
growth into floodplains previously unstudied, and
conversion of existing floodplain mapping into an electronic format and the
development of all new floodplain mapping into such a format.

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Due to these factors, there will always be a need for new floodplain maps. Current rapid
growth in Colorado makes the need for new maps especially high,

Federal Funding Trends
Historically a large number of floodplain maps in Colorado have been prepared by three
Federal agencies (FEMA, the Corps of Engineers, the NRCS). In recent years Federal funding
for floodplain mapping has been greatly reduced. None of the three agencies listed above has
had a substantial budget for mapping until Congress made a recent change for one agency,
FEMA. FEMA completed its Mllp Modernization Plan to update the nation's inventory of
Flood Insurance Studies in 2000. To date, Congress has not chosen to fund the full $750 -
$800 million plan, either through a general appropriation or through a proposed real estate
transaction fee. However, for the current fiscal year (FY '02) Congress approved
approximately $30 million in funding as a first step in the multi-year proposed plan,

There is a possible maior improvement in federal funding for next year. While at this point it .
is just a Presidential Budget proposal, President Bush's recently released budget for FY '03
includes $300 million for floodplain mapping, an enormous proposed increase (actually a ten-
fold increase) in FEMA mapping funding, If Congress chooses to support most or all of the
President's proposal, there will be a substantial change in federal funding for floodplain
mapping, including mapping in Colorado. Despite very serious budgetary problems in
Colorado, this potential major increase in federal funding provides Colorado with the very real
possibility of using both state and federal funds to tj:Jake major progress in meeting the state's
floodplain mapping needs: Any state that is able to provide a large matching/partnering
funding contribution to FEMA projects will be in a better position than states that do not
provide such funding.

Need for State Funding of Floodplain Mapping
Up-to-date and accurate floodplain mapping is thecomerstone of all floodplain management
activities in nearly every Colorado community. FIQodplain mapping is a critical tool for land
use decision-making and regulation, flood insuranc,e determinations, public safety and hazard
awareness, flood response, and flood hazard mitigation. Community officials, landowners,
potential homebuyers, mortgage bankers, developers, and other interested parties rely on
floodplain mapping to make decisions about land use and hazards risk every day. For
communities that need flood hazard mitigation proj ects, both structural and non-structural,
floodplain maps are a necessity, It is virtually impossible to design and implement mitigation
projects without detailed floodplain mapping. Some recent examples of mitigation projects
conceived or designed (some not yet implemented) using floodplain mapping as basis for .
design are listed below:

Flood Protection. Water Project Planning and Financing. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply Protection.' Conservation Planning