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<br />GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR
<br />FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT
<br />
<br />. The federal government has a fundamental interest
<br />in how the nation s JZoodplains are ma.714ged, hut the
<br />basic responsibililJ' for regulating flnodplains lies
<br />with the state and weal governments.
<br />. Flnodplnim must be considered in the context of
<br />Iotal communi!;', regional, and national plnnning
<br />and management.
<br />. Flood loss reduction slwu/d be t,iewed in the larger
<br />context if floodplain management, rather than as an
<br />ol?jectit'f in itself.
<br />. Sound floodplain management embodies several
<br />aspects:
<br />
<br />. goals (wise tHe, conservation, and develnpmmt
<br />afresources),'
<br />. objectives (economu efficiency, enl'ironmento.l
<br />qualit)" and social well-heing);
<br />. comideration qf future needs and the role of the
<br />jIoodplnin;
<br />
<br />. evaluation if alternati~'e strategies for alLeviat-
<br />ingftJod lossts;
<br />. accounting jor benefits and costs and inter-
<br />relnted impacts of Jloodplnin management
<br />actums;
<br />. motivation if decisionmakers;
<br />
<br />. coordination oj agencus at alllevds jor all
<br />aspects of floodplain management,' and
<br />. evaluation through continuous rrwnitoring and
<br />reporting to the public.
<br />
<br />Soura: A Unified A'aliolwl Program for Floodplain
<br />:\1anagemenl, 1976
<br />
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<br />28
<br />
<br />tection of the natural and cultural resources of floodplain. Today's floodplain
<br />management framevmrk is a product of planned initiatives, evolved methods,
<br />and fortuitous circumstances. Many aspects of the framework developed
<br />independently and then were incorporated for the common purpose. l\.lany
<br />were intended at the outset to complement each other. !\.1any apply to flood-
<br />plains only incidentally but nevertheless serve an important function.
<br />The idea of a unified national program for reducing flood losses was
<br />first set out in House Document 465 and has been refined and expanded
<br />since to produce A Unified ~~lational Program for Floodplain ..-\1anagenumi. It estab-
<br />lishes as a basic national goal the wise use of floodplains; sets forth the con-
<br />ceptual framework of a multiobjective approach to use of the nation's flood~
<br />plains, including flood loss reduction and natural values protection; identifies
<br />implementing strategies and tools; and recognizes the respective roles of each
<br />level of government and the private sector in the decisionmaking process.
<br />There are four main strategies for reducing floodplain losses. They are
<br />described in detail in the Unified National Program documents. Each strategy
<br />can be carried out by using one or more specified "tools"-activities under~
<br />taken by governments, individuals, or the private sector that have an impact
<br />on floodplain management:
<br />
<br />. Modify susceptibility to flood damage and disruption.
<br />
<br />. Modify flooding.
<br />
<br />. Modify the impact of flooding on individuals and the community.
<br />
<br />. Restore and preserve the natural and cultural resources of floodplains.
<br />
<br />
<br />At all levels of government and within the private sector, the tools and
<br />strategies for floodplain management take various forms, including compo-
<br />nents of broader initiatives, legislation, and policy directives in water resources
<br />management, emergency management, environmental protection, and proj-
<br />ects for community development and redevelopment. Federal, state, and local
<br />programs and private efforts to manage the natural and culcural resources of
<br />floodplains are usually focused on the particular resource or activity that hap~
<br />pens to occur on the floodplain rather than on the floodplain itself.
<br />
<br />
<br />The Federal Government
<br />
<br />At the federal level, flood loss reduction is accomplished through a
<br />net''\fork of la,vs, executive orders and directives, administrative regulations,
<br />interagency actions, and agency policies and programs. These components
<br />of the framework address various aspects of floodplain management, includ-
<br />ing insurance, land use, disaster preparedness and relief, information and
<br />education, warning systems, and structural flood control. At least 25 subdivi-
<br />sions of 12 departments and agencies have significant responsibility for some
<br />aspect of floodplain management.
<br />The water resources values of floodplains are managed through pro-
<br />grams for water quality, pollution control, watershed management, erosion
<br />control, and groundwater and aquifer protection. Restoration and preserva-
<br />tion of the living resources of floodplains have been addressed in multiobjec-
<br />tive federal programs or activities aimed at protecting inland or coastal wet-
<br />lands or barrier islands. Other federal programs have been specifically
<br />directed at protecting habitat. Cultural resources have been protected through
<br />a variety of federally supported programs for open space, recreation, urban
<br />renewal, waterfront redevelopment, and historic preservation.
<br />
<br />State Government
<br />
<br />State activities for floodplain management have responded to and often
<br />paralleled federal activities. States administer locally adopted and enforced
<br />floodplain management regulations pursuant to the National Flood Insurance
<br />Program. All coastal states have some type of permitting program for devel-
<br />opment activities below mean high water and most coastal and Great Lakes
<br />states have federally approved coastal management programs. Every state has
<br />a multihazard emergency operations plan that covers floods. All coastal states
<br />and some inland states have wetland protection programs of some sort ,"vhich
<br />include mapping, permitting, and protection.
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