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<br />FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Local Ordinance <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 <br />forth 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 100-year floodplain. <br /> <br />The basic requirement of these regulations is that new development and significant improvement <br />of existing development cannot occur in the I OO-year floodplain without a floodplain development <br />permit being obtained. Obtaining such a permit requires compliance with engineering standards. <br />In communities like Custer County that have both detailed and approximate floodplain <br />information, the engineering standards are both well defined and general, respectively. For the <br />general standards relating to approximate floodplains, structures must be built with materials and <br />techniques that "minimize flood damages". For the areas with detailed floodplain information, <br />the standards require that residential buildings must be elevated above the 100-year elevation and <br />that non-residential buildings must be either elevated or floodproofed. Other structures or <br />projects (i.e. bridges, culverts or fill) must be constructed in a way that minimizes the potential <br />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, Custer <br />County was not participating in the NFIP. Communities that are participants have done so 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) <br />and purchase insurance through that agent, much like they would purchase homeowner's <br />insurance. Brochures and other information regarding the National Flood Insurance Program can <br />be obtained by calling the Regional Office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency <br />(FEMA) in Denver at (303) 235-4830. <br /> <br />FloodDlain Manal!ement Alternatives <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Besides floodplain regulations and flood insurance, there are many actions that can reduce the risk <br />of flood damage in a community. Generally these actions fall into two classes, structural actions <br />and non-structural actions. Structural actions involve the construction of facilities to separate <br />floodwaters from property that is at risk. They include construction of improved channels, <br />enlargement of crossing structures (bridges and culverts), levees and floodwalls, reservoirs and <br />ponds to detain floodwaters and diversion channels and pipes to direct waters elsewhere. Non- <br />structural actions usually involve removing people and/or structures from the risk without <br />