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<br /> <br />. Go beyond federal requirements. Build on the NFIP, which offers flood insurance to communities <br /> <br /> <br />who use basic floodplain management tools. But if we had stopped there, we would have cheated <br /> <br /> <br />our citizens in the long term. Prudent floodplain management requires an extra margin of safety, <br /> <br /> <br />going beyond the NFIP to consider, for example, the effects of future watershed urbanization. (All <br /> <br /> <br />that paving and piping can speed runoff and increase downstream flooding. That's why we base <br /> <br /> <br />Tulsa's floodplain maps on ultimate watershed urbanization; require upstream detention or fee in <br /> <br /> <br />lieu of detention; require compensatory valley storage; and require new buildings to have the low- <br /> <br /> <br />est floor at least one foot above the predicted flood level.) <br /> <br /> <br />. Go for the green. With good floodplain management, a community can reap great rewards. Open <br /> <br /> <br />spaces can be used for greenway strip parks and trails, for example. Using the same land or resources <br /> <br /> <br />to achieve multiple goals such as water quality, recreation, transportation, and flood control, all in the <br /> <br /> <br />same project, can make every project more effective and broaden your constituency. <br /> <br /> <br />. Don't give out. Floodplain management is a long-term proposition, and you can't sell out the long- <br /> <br /> <br />term for short-term gains. Getting that point across to citizens probably requires an education pro- <br /> <br /> <br />gram. Your best friend may be your local news media; in Tulsa we are blessed with aggressive local <br /> <br /> <br />journalists and editors who understand long,term issues and help us explain them to the public. <br /> <br /> <br />CONCLUSfON Tulsa hasn't suffered a major flood in a decade, the longest flood-free period in our <br /> <br /> <br />history. We have no record of flood damage to any building built in accord with our updated, compre' <br /> <br /> <br />hensive regulations. Several rains have occurred that would have caused flooding previously, but the <br /> <br /> <br />upgraded stormwater system has handled them without significant damage, <br /> <br /> <br />We know that, inevitably, Tulsa will flood again. We believe, however, that flood dangers and <br /> <br /> <br />damages have been immeasurably reduced because our leaders had the foresight to make a hard- <br /> <br /> <br />willed commitment to progress. The greatest challenge in developing a flood program is finding the <br /> <br /> <br />community will, the vision, the local leadership, and the political courage. If you have ideas to share <br /> <br /> <br />with us, or if you would like more information, please contact Ann Pallon, 515 City Hall, Tulsa, <br /> <br /> <br />Oklahoma 74103; (918) 596,7808; fax (918) 596,7265. <br /> <br />RIDING A "WAVE" OF COOPERATION <br /> <br />BY JOHN LABRUNE MITIGATION CONSULTANTS & ASSOCIATES <br />FORMER UNION COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA, FLOODPLAIN MANAGER <br /> <br />Union County is a largely rural county, population 10,500 and growing, in extreme southeastern South <br /> <br /> <br />Dakota. It is bordered on the south by the Missouri River (adjacent to Nebraska), and to the east by the <br /> <br /> <br />Big Sioux River (adjacent to Iowa). In the late 1980s a major utility company began assembling parcels of <br /> <br /> <br />land at the confluence of the Big Sioux and Missouri rivers. The developers acquired approximately 2,000 <br /> <br /> <br />acres, and a formal announcement was made that they had plans to develop this raw, undeveloped piece <br /> <br /> <br />of unproductive land into a premiere "planned development" with areas set aside for schools, churches, a <br /> <br />Success Stories 8 <br />