FLOOD05142

• County: Dolores
• Community: Rico
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Title: Floodplain Information Report
• Date: 9/1/2000
• Prepared For: Rico
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT

Local Ordinance Requirements
Communities that manage their floodplains in Colorado do so most often through the local
regulatory process. This requires a community to adopt an ordinance or regulation, which sets
forth the performance standards by which development will occur in identified flood hazard
areas. Nationwide and in Colorado, regulations are enforced within the area of the l00-year
floodplain.

The basic requirement of these regulations is that new development and significant improvement
of existing development cannot occur in the l00-year floodplain without a floodplain
development permit being obtained. Obtaining such a permit requires compliance with
engineering standards. In communities like Rico that have approximate floodplain information,
the engineering standards have been more general. Structures must be built with materials and
techniques that "minimize flood damages". For communities that have detailed floodplain
information, more specific regulations would apply. The use of engineering techniques presented
in this report can help the Town to better regulate its approximate floodplain areas.

Flood Insurance
Flood insurance is made available to owners and occupants of floodprone property through the
federal government's National Flood Insurance Program (NAP). The federally backed flood
insurance is available to anyone in any community that participates in the NAP. At the time of
this publication, the Town of Rico is currently participating in the NAP, and officially joined the
regular program of the NAP on August 5, 1986. Communities become participants by adopting
floodplain regulations, adopting an NAP map (if one exists) and agreeing to cooperate with the
federal government in the local implementation of the NAP. Property owners and occupants can
then contact an insurance agent familiar with the NAP (perhaps their own agent) and purchase
insurance through that agent, much like they would purchase homeowner's insurance. Brochures
and other information regarding the National Flood Insurance Program can be obtained by calling
the Regional Office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Denver at (303)
235-4830.

Floodplain Manal!ement Alternatives
Besides floodplain regulations and flood insurance, there are many actions that can reduce the
risk of flood damage in a community. Generally these actions fall into two classes, structural
actions and non-structural actions. Structural actions involve the construction of facilities to
separate floodwaters from property that is at risk. They include construction of improved
channels, enlargement of crossing structures (bridges and culverts), levees and floodwalls,
reservoirs and ponds to detain floodwaters and diversion channels and pipes to direct waters
elsewhere. Non-structural actions usually involve removing people and/or structures from the
risk area without physically altering the floodplain. Actions include regulation of new
development, the adoption and enforcement of specific building code requirements,
floodproofing of existing buildings, relocation of structures to safer sites, acquisition of
floodplain (including buildings) for open space or other appropriate land uses, public education,
flood warning systems and emergency response programs.

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