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<br /> <br />MINIMUM NATIONAL FLOODPLAIN REGULATION REQUIREMENTS <br /> <br />The National Rood Insurance Progfam is administered by the Federal emergency Management AgeACy. <br />As a condition of making flood Insurance available for their residents. communities that participate in <br />. . <br />the program agree fO regulate new construction in the base floodplain. <br /> <br />There are four major floodplain requirements; additional regulations may be set by state or local law . <br /> <br />o All development in the base floodplain must have a permit from the community. <br />"Development" is deftned as any human-rnade change to the land. including new buildings. <br />improvements to buildings. filling. grading. mining, dredging. etc. <br /> <br />o Development should not be allowed in The f1oodway. The f100dway is the channel and central <br />portion of the floodpl3in that is needed to convey the base flood. It is usually the most <br />hazardous area of a'riveiin8 'floodplain and the most sensitive to development. At a minimum, <br />no development in'the f100dway can cause an obstruction to flood flows. An engineering study <br />is usually needed to see if 'this will happen. <br /> <br />o New buildings may bellWtt in the flOOdplain, but they must be protected from damage by the <br />basell00d. 'The lowest floorS of residential buildings must be elevated to or above the base <br />flood elevation. :Nonresidential bUIldings must be elevated or f1oodproofed. Because of the <br />restrictions described abOve. buildings that are built in the f100plain are usually located outside <br />thefloodway. '.1, '.. <br /> <br />.',;''1, <br /> <br />o When an addition~ improvement.. or repair of damage to an existing building is valued at more <br />than 50% of the value of the Original building, then it is considered a substantial improvement. <br />A substantial improvement is: treated as a new building. <br /> <br />. .f' ; <br /> <br />Communities are encouraged" to-adopt local ordinar'lces that are more comprehensive or provide more <br />protection than the state Of' federal criteria. This is especially important in areas with older maps that <br />may not reflect the current ha,zard. Stricter standards could include prohibiting certain damage-prone <br />uses from the floodway or requiring :strUctures to be elevated one or more feet above the base flood <br />elevation. <br /> <br />Watershed planners can identify the most effective location for a detention <br />or retention basin. The community then can require developers to contribute funds <br />for a regional basin in lieu of constructing on-site detention. Some state and <br />regional agencies have stormwater standards that all communities and developers <br />must follow. In some places, stormwater projects are funded with utility or user <br />fees. Each property in the watershed pays according to the amount of runoff it <br />generates. <br />Best management practices-Best management practices (BMPs) reduce <br />nonpoint source pollutants that enter the waterways. Nonpoint source pollutants <br />are those carried by stormwater. They include lawn fertilizers, pesticides, farm <br />chemicals, and oils from street surfaces and industrial areas. <br />Many measures that combat nonpoint source pollution also yield flood <br />protection benefits. Far example, one of the most important nonpoint source <br /> <br />16 <br /> <br /> <br />~::::~:~ <br /> <br />$:;':;:.; <br /> <br />tt: <br />