BOARD02132

• Board Meeting Date: 5/30/1991
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos. Not All Materials Are Included.
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

COLORADO'S AGRICULTURAL EXEMPTIONS COULD
AFFECT COUNTY PARTICIPATION IN THE NFIP

Colorado was notified on December 19, 1990.that the
state's agricultural exemption from building permits
(CRS 30-28-205, 1973 Revised) may prevent unincor-
porated counties from carrying out the requirements of
the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Should
the State Attorney General's Office substantiate this con-
cern, the Colorado General Assembly may have to enact
legislation this session to prevent suspension of 48
Colorado counties from the NFIP.

Vnder current state statutes, it appears that counties can-
not require a building permit in special flood hazard
areas for a structure for agricultural purposes. Absence
of this authority means the counties cannot enforce the
minimum requirements for participation in the NFIP.
The consequence of new enabling legislation will require
all agriculture structures within designated floodplains to
obtain floodplain developmenfpermits.

Vnless legislation is passed removing the exemption of
agricultural structures from county floodplain manage-
ment regulations, 48 of Colorado's NFIP participating

counties will face suspension from the NFIP. Suspen-
sion will impact the counties as follows:

Flood insurance will not be available,

Federal agencies may not provide grants or loans for
.buildings in identified special flood hazard areas of com-
munities not participating in the NFIP.

No federal mortgage insurance may be provided in iden-
tified flood hazard areas, and

In the event of federally declared flood disaster, no
federal disaster assistance would be available.

FEMA is presently undertaking such action against the
State of Missouri which has until March 4, 1991 to adopt
amending legislation or its counties will face suspension
from the NFIP.

"FLOOD STAGE"
SURVEY RESULTS

In September 1990, the CWCB requested ideas from our
readers, by survey, as to how to enhance our "FLOOD
STAGE" newsletter. The results of the survey are as
follows:

The specific types of articles readers would like:

-Floodplain management
-Local drainage and flood control
-Floodplain regulations
-Flood hazard mitigation
-Floodplain mapping engineering
-V nique hazards
-Flood warning systems
-Flood insurance

26%
19%
12%
14%
12%
7%
5%
5%

More federal/state assistance is required by local
governments for: .

-Assistance in the NFIP map revision
process 37%
-Providing flood insurance coverage and
rate information 18%
-Determination of flood hazard risks in
unidentified flood hazard.. .17%
-Determination of base flood elevations 15%
-Determination ofNFIP mapping data .13%
Local support of the community's floodplain
management is:

-About the same 58%
-Improving 23%
-Worsening 19%

My community's most frequent question regarding
floodplain management is:

-Am I in the 100-year floodplain?
-What is thenood elevation on my
property?
-Why do I have to buy flood insurance
when my neighbors don't?
-How much is this going to cost?
-Why can't I build in this area?
-Can the city and county maps be consolidated?

1ST
)
2NIJ

3RD
4TH
5TH
6TH

DA VID WALKER NAMED
DIRECTOR OF THE COLORADO
WATER CONSERVATION BOARD

The Colorado Water Conservation Board, the state's
primary water planning and development agency, has an-
nounced its appointment of David W. Walker as its new
director. Walh'f replaces Bill McDonald. ..

"The '90s will be a critical--and increasingly contentious-
-time for all of us involved in water resources in
Colorado," Walker said.

The Colorado Water Conservation Board studies.
.proposed watd projects and r~eommends projects to the
.General Assembly for fundinglhrough the board's Con-
. struction Fund; helps plan and develop water-storage and
flood control projects for federal and state authorization;
approves ,floodplain delineations to guide local govern-, \,
ments in floodplain zoning; assists local governments i"V
the implementation of the National Flood Insurance Pro-
gram; obtains and holds water rights for insrream flows
and lake levels on behalf of the people of Colorado;
manages state water policies and represents the state's