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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />Local Ordinance Requirements <br /> <br />Communities which manage their floodplains in Colorado do so most often through the local <br />regulatory process. This requires a community to adopt an ordinance or regulation which sets forth <br />the performance standards by which development will occur in identified flood hazard areas. <br />Nationwide and in Colorado, regulations are enforced within the area of the I OO-year floodplain. <br /> <br />The basic requirement of these regulations is that new development and significant improvement of <br />existing development cannot occur in the 100-year floodplain without a floodplain development <br />permit being obtained. Obtaining such a permit requires compliance with engineering standards. In <br />communities like Colorado Springs that have both detailed and approximate floodplain <br />information, the engineering standards are well-defined for some floodplains (detailed floodplain <br />information) and general in other floodplains (approximate floodplain information). For the areas <br />with approximate floodplain information, where the general standards apply, structures must be <br />built with materials and techniques that "minimize flood damages." For the areas with detailed <br />floodplain information the standards require that residential buildings must be elevated above the <br />100-year elevation and that non-residential buildings must be either elevated or floodproofed. <br />Other structures or projects (i.e, bridges, culverts or fill) must be constructed in a way that <br />minimizes the potential increase in flood elevations they may cause. <br /> <br />Flood Insurance <br /> <br />Flood insurance is made available to owners and occupants of floodprone property through the <br />federal government's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP insurance is available <br />to anyone in any community that participates in the NFIP. At the time of this publication the City <br />of Colorado Springs was participating in the NFIP. Colorado Springs was already a participant in <br />the Emergency Phase of the NFIP when the original FIS was being prepared and officially entered <br />the Regular Phase of the NFIP on December 18, 1986. Communities become participants by <br />adopting floodplain regulations, adopting an NFIP map (if one exists) and agreeing to cooperate <br />with the federal government in the local implementation of the NFIP. Property owners and <br />occupants can then contact an insurance agent familiar with the NFIP (perhaps their own agent) and <br />purchase insurance through that agent, much like they would purchase homeowner's insurance. <br />Brochures and other information regarding the National Flood Insurance Program can be obtained <br />by calling the Regional Office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Denver <br />at (303) 235-4830. <br /> <br />6 <br />