HomeMy WebLinkAboutAuthorize Memorandum of Understanding between County, City, DNRC and FEMA for risk MAP, Bozeman Creek
Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Brian Heaston, Project Engineer
Craig Woolard, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: Authorize the City Manager to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between
Gallatin County, City of Bozeman, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
(DNRC), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Risk MAP project on Bozeman Creek.
MEETING DATE: January 6, 2014
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Consent
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
between Gallatin County, City of Bozeman, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Risk MAP project on Bozeman Creek.
BACKGROUND: The effective Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)
for the City of Bozeman, dated September 2, 2011, are regulatory products produced by FEMA that
identify flooding hazards of Bozeman Creek and its tributaries within city limits and portions of Gallatin County. The FIS identifies the elevation of the regulatory base flood elevation (BFE) for these streams.
The BFE represents the predicted water surface elevation of the 100-year flood event. FIRMs identify
100-year floodplain boundaries. Said boundaries are delineated by comparing the BFE to the topography of ground adjacent to streams. The floodplain boundary is mapped where the BFE intersects the ground.
Together, these regulatory products (the FIS and FIRMs) are used to identify the risk of flooding of properties within proximity to Bozeman Creek and its tributaries. Existing residential and commercial structures located in a mapped floodplain are required to carry a flood insurance policy if financed by a
federally secured loan. New construction in the floodplain is allowable by permit so long as the lowest floor of the structure is elevated at least 2’ above the BFE. Raising the structure helps mitigate the risk of
flooding and reduce the likelihood of flood damages.
The effort to prepare the original FIS for the City of Bozeman dates back to the mid 1970’s with the first
FIRMs being published by FEMA in 1982. The FIS was amended in the mid 1980’s to incorporate
additional up-stream reaches of several tributaries to Bozeman Creek and revised FIRMs were published in 1988. The 2011 FIRM update completed by FEMA simply digitized the originally mapped floodplain
boundaries that were identified by the studies completed in the 70’s and 80’s. The currently effective
floodplains are essentially obsolete and represent flooding conditions that are 30 to 40 years old. Furthermore, the mapped digital floodplain boundaries do not match up with the actual location of the
streams. This is a relic of the relatively course methods that were used to produce the original
FIS/FIRMs.
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The DNRC and FEMA are currently in the process of completing a comprehensive re-study of the flood
hazards of Bozeman Creek and tributaries. Best-available information and current technology are being used to complete the re-study effort. The new FIS/FIRMs, once finished, will accurately represent current
flood hazards of Bozeman Creek and tributaries. The project is estimated to be completed in 2016, but
that timeframe is contingent upon the DNRC securing additional FEMA grant funding. The City and County are not currently contributing funds towards this project, nor will they be required to in the future.
The current federal floodplain mapping program is known as ‘Risk MAP’. The attached MOU outlines a good-faith effort on behalf of the parties involved in completing the re-study project. The MOU is not
legally binding, nor does not obligate the City to contribute funds and does not create future unfunded liabilities for the City. The project will proceed with or without the MOU in place. It is simply a good-faith document. It has been executed by Commissioner Skinner of the Gallatin County Commission.
Staff recommends the City Commission authorize the City Manager sign the MOU on behalf of the City. UNRESOLVED ISSUES: None.
ALTERNATIVES: As suggested by the City Commission.
FISCAL EFFECTS: None.
Attachments: (1) MOU
Report compiled on: December 26, 2013
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