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CHAPTER 6 IMPLEMENTING A IFLOODPILAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM -- - Floodplain managers face pressure from at least two directions. From one direction there is pressure to let property owners in the floodplain develop their land as they fe~el is best. From another direction them is pressure to protect people and their property from the potential hazards of flooding. The local floodplain manager has the responsibility t.o develop a balanced pro- gram. This can be done by educating members of the community who voice objections to floodplain management, showing how those relate to other community concerns. and avoiding common pitfalls that can lead to legal problems. Balancing Demands for Floodplain Areas One of the most common ways for floodplain regulations to balance conflict Ing demands is to (livide the floodplain into two portions--the floodway and Ie e flood fringe. The purpose of this division is to preserve enough of the floodplain to ensure sufficient capacity to carry a 1 OO-year flood without causing undue damage, while permitting economic use of that portion of the floodplain that can be safely developed if stringent standards are enforced, Another consideration with regard to balance is that it is certain that some- day a large flood (1"'(Jer than a '1 OO'year flood) will inundate the entire flood- p'ain. The entire area cannot be restricted but it is clear that leaving it u'1restricted poses a threat to pubiic safety. Identifying and regulating the 1 OO-year floodplain and the 1 OO-year flood way is a way of balancin(J the n,eed to protect pui)lic safety against pressures to use floodplain land, Belationship IOf Floodplain Management to Other Community Concern!) For a community with areas subject to flood hazard, floodplain management is still just one concern among other community concerns. Floodplain rranagement teChniques can be applied without conflicting with the other g'Jals for which a c.ommunity plans. The three m.ost important concerns to communities with floodprone areas are land use, publiC safety, and fiscal issues. L.and Use Some land use considerations. 1) assuring the efficient use of public resources; 2) provision of cE"tain community services, facilities, and aesthetic benefits in SOmE! arE!aS and different ones in other areas; 3) protection of property values; and 4) promotion of publiC safety. =Ioodplain management can be a major part of a community's land use pro- gram. There may be unique conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions affecting land use patterns in the floodplain which can affect land LIse patterns throughout the community. For example, providing or denying services in the floodplain can encourage or discourage development. 1=loodplain regulations are not intended to single out certain types of uses for restriction but are intended to address the potential hazards posed by various types of development if the manner and/or the location of the development is inappropriate, For example, not all residential uses are pre- cluded, Properties in the floodplain will require more protection than others to assure maintenance of proporty values. Yards and gardens could be developed in the floodplain and the houses could either be elevated suf- ficiently or located outside the floodplain. Public Safety .some of the functions of a community's public safety program are, 1) to protect lives; 2) preserve proper1y values; 3) minimize victimization of unwary home anclland purchasers; and 4) use public resources efficiently, 39