BOARD00113 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 1/24/2007
• Description: Flood Section - Floodplain Map Modernization Annual Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natura! Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 72 I
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]\
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor

MEMORANDUM

Harris D. Sherman
Executive Director

TO: Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
FROM: Tom Browning, P.E., Chief, Flood Protection Section
DATE: January II, 2007
SUBJECT: Agenda Item 15
January 23-24, 2007 Board Meeting
Flood Protection Section - Floodplain Map Modernization Annual Report

Rod Kuharich
Director

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

Backl!round
In 2002, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began discussions about creating a program to
modernize the nation's Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), many of which were extremely outdated. CWCB
staff assembled a Map Modernization Implementation Plan (MMIP) in late 2002 in support of this effort,
followed by a "Business Case Plan" to outline the State's program guidance. In 2003, Congress funded the first
year of the Map Modernization Program (Map Mod). Map Mod represents a much different way of producing
regulatory floodplain maps compared to past practices. Colorado elected to better represent communities'
interests by accepting more responsibility with the mapping process.

Map Mod in Colorado is a partnership between Federal, State, and local entities and involves many other
ancillary partners. It all starts with Congress, which allocates funding through the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) to FEMA HQ in Washington DC. FEMA HQ sends the funding to their Region VIII Office in
Lakewood, Colorado, where the Region's funding is distributed amongst the Region VIII States: Colorado,
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Due to Colorado's top-rated floodplain
management program and growing population, we have received a generous portion (several million dollars) of
this funding since the inception of Map Mod.

The CWCB is authorized to manage mapping projects in the State. We apply for funding each year and sign
agreements with FEMA as well as the contractor performing mapping efforts. The CWCB selected two
consulting firms to perform these mapping efforts under a multi-year task order contract. The Map Mod team
meets regularly to adjust the program based on new policy guidance and to plan, review, and schedule
individual countywide studies.

Summary
Staff will make an informational presentation to the Board as a means of providing an annual report on the
history, progress, key issues and future of Map Modernization work in Colorado.