County Government » Ordinances » Flood Plain Ordinance

Article III. Establishment of The Floodplain Area

Font Size: + -
Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option
Print

Section 3.1 Identification

  1. The identified floodplain area shall be those areas of Jefferson County which are subject to the one-hundred (100) year flood, as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and described in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) prepared for Jefferson County, West Virginia by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dated the 18th day of December, 2009, or the most recent revision thereof.
  2. The identified floodplain area shall also be those areas of Jefferson County which have been identified as flood hazard areas by the County Commission of Jefferson County by use of historic or other technical data and shown on the Jefferson County “Local Flood Hazards Map”. These areas shall be designated as appropriate with the level of technical data described below and shall be managed accordingly.

Section 3.2 Descriptions of Floodplain Areas

The identified floodplain shall consist of the following four specific areas:

  1. The Floodway area (F1) shall be those areas identified as such in the FIS and as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The term shall also include floodway areas identified in other studies for the approximated area discussed in Section D below.
  2. The Floodway Fringe area (F2) shall be those areas for which specific one hundred (100) year flood elevations have been provided in the FIS but which lie beyond the floodway area. These areas are shown on the FIRM.
  3. The AE Area without Floodway (F3) shall be those areas identified as an AE Zone on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA for which 100-year flood elevations have been provided but no Floodway has been delineated.
  4. The Approximated area (F4) shall be those areas identified as Zone A on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA, and for which no one hundred (100) year flood elevations have been provided. For these areas, elevation and floodway information from other Federal or State sources, or other source acceptable to the Floodplain Administrator, shall be used when available. Where other acceptable information is not available, the Floodplain Administrator shall require the applicant to determine the elevation with hydrologic and hydraulic engineering or other techniques. When Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses are required, they shall only be undertaken by a registered professional engineer, who shall certify that the technical methods used reflect currently accepted technical concepts and methodology. A summary of the study and the findings along with the detailed study, analyses, computations, etc. shall be submitted in sufficient detail to allow a thorough technical review by the Floodplain Administrator.

Section 3.3 Changes in Designation of Area

  1. The delineation of the identified floodplain area may be revised, by the County Commission of Jefferson County upon recommendation by the Floodplain Administrator, where natural or man-made changes have occurred and/or more detailed studies conducted or undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a River Basin Commission, or other qualified agency or qualified individual, documents the necessity for such changes. However, prior to any such change, approval must be obtained from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
  2. A community’s base flood elevations may increase or decrease resulting from physical changes affecting flooding conditions. As soon as practical, but not later than six months after the date such information becomes available, the community shall notify the NFIP Administrator of the changes by submitting technical or scientific data.
  3. The County Commission of Jefferson County, upon recommendation by the Floodplain Administrator, may identify and regulate new flood hazard or ponding areas. These areas may be delineated using locally derived technical information such as flood of record, historic high water marks and/or topographic data.

Section 3.4 Boundary Disputes

Should a dispute arise concerning the identification of any flood prone area, an initial determination shall be made by the Floodplain Administrator; and any party aggrieved by this decision may appeal to the County Commission of Jefferson County. The burden of proof shall be on the appellant/applicant.