Responsibilities of a Floodplain Administrator
Floodplain Management Works Best at the Local Level
Jun 29, 2009
Federal regulations administered by FEMA put the burden for floodplain management in the local community—a city, township, or county. The local floodplain administrator becomes FEMA’s representative to see that the community complies with the law.
Appointment of the Floodplain Administrator
When a community joins the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) the local governing board, a city council or county commission, must appoint a person to be the Floodplain Administrator (FPA). In a small community, this is usually the CEO, typically the mayor or county chairman. As the size of the city increases, this person is more likely to be a staff member answerable to the mayor.
The FPA is appointed by ordinance, most often is appointed by name rather than by a designated position. This sometimes causes confusion when the FPA leaves office or staff and a new person takes over. Unless the ordinance is changed, FEMA will not have the correct name of the FPA, and correspondence will go to the wrong person. It is not unusual for a community to be twenty years behind in correctly appointing a floodplain administrator.
Responsibilities for Orderly Floodplain Management
FEMA puts significant responsibility on the FPA. By Federal regulation, the FPA must do the following.
- Require floodplain development permits for all proposed construction within designated floodplains.
- Make sure all other local, State, and Federal permits covering the construction are obtained. This may include such things as wetlands, historic preservation, and endangered species.
- Maintain records of all floodplain development permits issued or denied.
- Review permit applications for completeness and to make sure that the proposed development will be safe from flooding and will not cause increased flooding upstream or downstream. This includes obtaining professional engineering help when needed.
- Require structures in or adjacent to the floodplain to have their finished floor at or above the statutory elevation, or require flood-proofing of those structure for which flood-proofing is allowed.
- Require that manufactured homes be adequately elevated and anchored.
- Require water and wastewater utilities within the floodplain to comply with flood plain regulations, especially infiltration of stormwater into the water supply or the sewage collection system
- Ensure that the flood carrying capacity of the waterway is not reduced when the waterway is relocated or altered.
- Enforce these regulations by field checks, especially of the finished floor elevations of buildings with a regulatory elevation.
- Maintain a library of community flood maps, studies, and documents.
- In the case of actual flooding, determine what damage has occurred; if what FEMA terms “substantial damage” has occurred, require all structures to be repaired to current flood-hazard area building standards.
Training and Certification of FPAs
Training to help the FPA do their job properly is available from FEMA and various State agencies or private companies. The role of the FPA is not easy, and requires specialized knowledge of regulations, hydraulics, hydrology, mapping, and public awareness.
The FPA does not have to be an expert in all these areas, and if not an engineer probably will have only a basic understanding of rainfall and run-off quantifying. But the FPA must have sufficient knowledge in all these areas to be able to perform the assigned regulatory functions.
Many states have established certification/accreditation programs for local FPAs. This will include, as a minimum, attendance at certain classes that explain the FPA’s role, and is likely to require successfully passing an examination. Once certified, the FPA will be required to take continuing education classes to maintain and improve competence.
The local floodplain administrator has many duties to perform to ensure that the community complies with all regulations, to prevent citizens and businesses from adversely affecting the floodplain, and to mitigate future damage from flooding. With the right training and experience, these people form the backbone of the NFIP.
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