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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />Local Ordinance Requirements <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 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 ofthese regulations is that new development and significant improvement of <br />existing development cannot occur in the I DO-year floodplain without a floodplain development <br />permit being obtained. Obtaining such a permit requires compliance with engineering standards. In <br />communities that have at least some detailed floodplain information on their FIRMs, the <br />engineering standards require that residential buildings must be elevated above the I DO-year <br />elevation and that non-residential buildings must be either elevated or floodproofed. Other <br />structures or projects (i.e. bridges, culverts or fill) must be constructed in a way that minimizes the <br />potential increase in flood elevations they may cause. Communities like Otis that have some <br />detailed information on other maps have the capability of regulating to a more stringent standard by <br />using that detailed information in those areas where it is available. In communities that have <br />approximate floodplain information as well as detailed information. For those communities, there <br />are two sets of engineering standards, the more stringent regulations described above for the areas <br />of detailed mapping and more general regulations for the areas of approximate mapping. Within <br />the areas of approximate mapping structures must be built with materials and techniques that <br />"minimize flood damages". The use of engineering techniques presented in this report can help the <br />Town of Otis to better regulate its approximate floodplain areas. <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, the Town <br />of Otis was participating in the NFIP. Otis was a participant in the Emergency Phase of the NFIP <br />when the original FHBM was prepared and officially entered the Regular Phase of the NFIP on <br />August 19, 1985, when the FHBM was converted to the FIRM. Communities become participants <br />by 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 NFlP (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 />9 <br />