October 19, 2023 |
PHOTO – FEMA Flood Map – Bigfoot99 file photo
The engineering firm hired by Saratoga to dispute the new FEMA flood plain map advises the town not to fight the changes.
When the Federal Emergency Management Agency unveiled its newest flood plain maps, Saratoga officials were alarmed by an increase in the number of properties FEMA considered to be in danger of flooding. Homes in the newly expanded flood plain will be required to purchase flood insurance or face backlash from mortgage holders and be ineligible for federal disaster relief in the event of a flood.
Former town council member Jon Nelson led the charge against FEMA. Nelson said the federal agency appeared to use incorrect and outdated information to create the new flood plain map. Nelson brought his findings to FEMA’s attention earlier this year.
In mid-July, FEMA sent a letter to Carbon County and Saratoga officials requesting information that disputed the new maps. Three areas in and around Saratoga were specifically targeted for the appeal process. FEMA gave Saratoga officials 90 days to come up with scientific and technical proof that the maps were incorrect.
During the September 19th town council meeting, Mayor Chuck Davis authorized spending $9,500 of reserve ARPA money to hire S2O Design and Engineering, out of Lyons, Colorado, to review the FEMA maps.
Representatives from S2O visited the town on October 4th to perform an in-person examination. The results of the analysis were presented to the town on October 11th.
At Tuesday’s town council meeting, S2O Project engineer Nathan Werner said he has 15 years of flood plain hydrology experience and is an expert in hydrologic modeling. Werner said FEMA’s map doesn’t appear to have any major errors.
However, Werner said the flood plain map isn’t flawless. The hydraulic engineer said the map shows ledges along the riverbanks that aren’t really there.
Werner said he spotted another issue with FEMA’s flood plain map. The hydraulic engineer said the type of modeling FEMA used caused the map to appear wrong. Wener said FEMA’s prediction of very shallow flooding in the disputed areas seems to explain the discrepancies.
Werner said he created his own rough flood plain model to compare against FEMA’s data. The hydraulic engineer said his model very closely matched the FEMA map.
Werner said FEMA’s model admits to using engineering judgement for certain data points. The hydraulic engineer said in his professional opinion, FEMA used information that helped Saratoga the most.
Public Works Director Emery Penner asked Werner if he thought the town should take the next step in fighting the flood plain map by creating a LOMA, or Letter of Map Amendment.
Werner said the map isn’t flawed enough to trigger a full appeal to FEMA. The hydraulic engineer said a LOMA may end up hurting the town even more Werner suggested telling FEMA about the inconsistencies he found.
Werner said performing a town-wide LOMA may end up putting more homes in the flood plain.
Jon Nelson asked Werner why the FEMA map was showing more homes in danger of flooding from less water than the town received in 2011. Werner said he isn’t entirely sure how FEMA came up with the data, but he doesn’t see any major errors in the map.
Nelson said continuing to fight the FEMA map presents a moral dilemma. The former council member said a more accurate map may remove homes from the flood plain or increase the number of homeowners required to purchase flood insurance.
Nelson said he agrees that the town should not appeal the FEMA map, but instead submit the questions brought up by the engineer.
Public Works Director Penner said the revised FEMA map will require the town to amend building codes for properties in the flood zone. Penner said the town could also choose to ignore the flood map and incur financial consequences.
Penner said if the town chooses not to pursue the appeal, residents can still opt to undergo their own LOMA process. Councilwoman Kathy Beck said the town should help homeowners understand their options.
Mayor Davis asked for a vote on whether the town should continue the appeal process or not. Councilman Jacob Fluty motioned to stop fighting the revised FEMA flood plain map. Councilman Mike Cooley offered a second and the motion passed.
Residents are still able to appeal their inclusion in the new FEMA map themselves. To find out what options are available to you, visit the FEMA.gov website or call the Wyoming National Flood Insurance Program Coordinator Kim Johnson at 777-4910.
