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<br />. <br /> <br />FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />Local Ordinance Requirements <br />Communities that 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 forth <br />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 of <br />existing development cannot occur in the 100-year floodplain without a floodplain development <br />permit being obtained, Obtaining such a permit requires compliance with engineering standards, In <br />communities like Town of Ovid that have approximate floodplain information, the engineering <br />standards have been more generaL Structures must be built with materials and techniques that <br />"minimize flood damages", For communities that have detailed floodplain information, more <br />specific regulations would apply, The use of engineering techniques presented in this report can <br />help the Town to better regulate its approximate floodplain areas. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Flood Insurance <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 federally backed flood <br />insurance is available to anyone in any community that participates in the NFIP, At the time of this <br />publication, Town of Ovid was not participating in the NFIP, Communities become participants 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) and <br />purchase insurance through that agent, much like they would purchase homeowner's insurance, <br />Brochures and other information regarding the National Flood Insurance Program can be obtained <br />by calling the Regional Office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Denver <br />at (303) 235-4830, <br /> <br />Floodulain Manal!ement Alternatives <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 area without <br />physically altering the floodplain, Actions include regulation of new development, the adoption <br />and enforcement of specific building code requirements, floodproofing of existing buildings, <br />relocation of structures to safer sites, acquisition of floodplain (including buildings) for open space <br />or other appropriate land uses, public education, flood warning systems and emergency response <br />programs, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />5 <br />