PERMFILE107820

• Permit No: M2000034
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 11/28/1994
• Doc Name: FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
• From: ENSR
• To: CTM PLACE LLC
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

EN.yt
November 28, 1994
Mr. Don Marostica
Page 2
Floodway: that portion of the iloodplain between encroachments which is available to
convey flood flows; boundaries of the iloodway are defined through computer
modeling of a hypothetical, uniform encroachment along the river reach of
interest; the area of encroachment is limited to that area which produces a
defined surcharge of the base flood; the city of Loveland allows a surcharge
of 1 foot, while Larimer County allows a surcharge of only 0.5 feet.
Flood Fringe: the area between the iloodway and the extent of the 100-year iloodplain;
ihis is also the area of encroachment.
FEMA: the Federal Emergency Management Agency is the federal agency charged
with managing activities in flood hazard areas; FEMA regulations allow
development anywhere in the floodplain; however, the agency discourages
development in the iloodway except Tor passive uses such as parks or other
recreation areas.
Meeting with City of Loveland
On Wednesday, October 12 Dan Gregory of ENSR and Dave Lingle of Aller-Lingle Architects
met with Mr. John Slavik with the City of Loveland to discuss iloodplain issues. The main
purpose of the meeting was to ensure that everyone understood the definition of the various
technical terms related to river floodplains. Perhaps the most significant outcome of the
meeting was in educaiing Mr. Slavik as to the meaning of flood fringe and the fact that
development is allowed in this area.
Mr. Slavik loaned us a copy of the report (Flood-plain Informaton Report, Big Thompson
River, Loveland, Colorado; 1981; by Resource Consultants, Inc.) which defines the extent
of the 100-year 11ood and provides the information from which the ioodway may be defined.
The following subsection summarizes my review of this report. Mr. Slavik also identified the
sections of the city building codes which pertain to construction in floodplain areas. My
review of these codes is provided in another subsection.
Summary of Floodplain Information Report
The floodplain information report (Report) by Resource Consultants, Inc. (RCI) was prepared
for the City of Loveland and Larimer County to update previous studies by the Corps of
Engineers and the Flood Insurance Administration. The Report provides the necessary
documentation for the city to enter the National Flood Insurance Program. The Report
integrates survey information and hydraulic computer modeling to produce maps showing