09-17-07 Meeting of Drainage and Flooding Committee

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GOALS ARE GENERAL STATEMENTS OF DIRECTION; OBJECTIVES ARE MORE SPECIFIC TARGETS. (1) GOAL: Reduce flood damage to existing buildings. OBJEc wE: Acquire from ; willing sellers all homes that were damaged along River Road during the 1995 flood. (2) GOAL: Create trails that connect neighborhoods. OBJECIIVE: Create a hiking, jogging, and biking trail along Floody Creek that connects Sunset and Sunrise Parks. A 7-FOOT DIFFERENCE in the elevation of the bottom floor of an insured $150,000 home in a floodplain with $25,000 contents can mean the difference between an annual flood insurance premium of $274 and $5230. The goal is to bring these diverse interests together, reduce conflicts, and increase the opportunities for mutual support. Broad -based solutions will cost less than dealing with each problem separately. ESTABLISH COMMUNITY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES You and other elected officials can form a group to identify common goals and objectives for the community. Organizing can be done informally, but a more formal organization may be more productive if the issues are complex. A group may already exist, such as a neighbor- hood association. It may take the organized group, and the public, some time to reach a consensus on the community goals and objectives. However, the time spent is well worth it because this process is vital to getting cooperation from everyone. Where possible, settle on goals and objectives that support more than one interest. Agreeing to "maintain wetlands" can meet many needs at once. For example, they (1) provide natural flood storage areas, (2) reduce flood levels, (3) perpetuate natural vegetation, and (4) improve wildlife habitat. It may not be possible to obtain complete agreement on everything, but you should try to build consensus among all affected stakeholders so that everyone can live with the recommendations. SELECT APPROPRIATE MEASURES Your community has at its disposal many proven measures for managing its floodplains. (They are described in some detail in Appendix B). You can combine them to tailor a program especially for your commu- nity's floodplains and its goals. A consensus should be reached on which measures to employ. Compromise may be required. Here are some things to consider when deciding which techniques to use. • Measures that will meet more than one community need are more cost-effective and easier to defend before critics. For example, water detention basins for page 14