Navigating the National Flood Insurance Program and Floodplain Regulations-Panelist 1
Year: 2022 Presenter/s: Ted Perkins Symposium Session: 2022 – 03 Navigating the National Flood Insurance
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was created in 1968 to provide federally backed flood insurance to communities in response to major floods in the Mississippi basin and is administered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and participating local communities. To participate in the NFIP, local communities must adhere to minimum floodplain regulations that are intended to discourage and reduce risks of development within the floodplain. Aimed at easing the burden for communities advancing restoration actions within regulated floodways and in support of Threatened and Endangered salmonids, the previous 1999 FEMA Region X policy and 2013 clarification allowed fish enhancement projects that have minimal impacts to be permitted if a qualified professional could provide a hydraulic analysis and certify that the project was designed to keep any rise in 100-year floodway levels as close to zero as possible and that no structures would be impacted by a potential rise. This policy was initiated out of recognition that no-rise analysis requirements would likely exceed the cost of enhancement projects, unduly impeding these projects. The August 2020 rescindment of this policy means that all such restoration projects within a designated floodway will now require either a “no-rise” analysis and certification or Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) and Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), increasing the time, cost and expertise needed to advance many fish enhancement projects.
Many stream, river, and floodplain restoration projects in the PacNW and nationwide are focused on increasing floodplain connectivity due to the beneficial habitat and flood attenuation effects associated with frequently flooded floodplains. In addition, improving channel complexity through the placement of stable large wood (LW) within the channel has become a large focus of restoration efforts in the PacNW due to the beneficial effects to salmonid habitat and associated ESA listing of salmon. Many of these efforts work to reverse anthropogenic caused changes (channelization, removal of LW, urbanization, etc) that have resulted in significant channel incision, degradation, and poor habitat conditions for ESA listed species. The effect of these efforts is often an increase water surface elevations during both frequent floods and the 100-year flood which presents a conflict with minimum NFIP floodplain regulations.
The goals of the panel discussion are to communicate the implications of the policy, which impact tribal governments, agencies and non-profits, and to support: a) information sharing about rescindment, including early findings regarding effects on project costs and timelines; b) brainstorming around alternatives, c) reflection upon long term goals and actions, and identification of potential conflicts with the BiOp and other intersecting policy issues; and d) co-development of creative long term solutions.
Year: 2022 Presenter/s: Ted Perkins Symposium Session: 2022 – 03 Navigating the National Flood Insurance
Year: 2022 Presenter/s: Erin Cooper Symposium Session: 2022 – 03 Navigating the National Flood Insurance
Year: 2022 Presenter/s: Kaz Guillozet Symposium Session: 2022 – 03 Navigating the National Flood Insurance