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Weber County flood maps to be updated; 500 properties could be removed from high-risk zones

By Tim Vandenack Standard-Examiner - | May 18, 2021

OGDEN — The federal maps highlighting areas of potential flood risk are to be updated in Weber County and the preliminary indications are that more properties are in line to be removed from high-risk zones than added.

“This is kind of infrequent,” said Weber County Engineer Gary Myers, one of two flood plain administrators for the county. “It’s kind of a big deal they’re doing this.”

The preliminary maps will be the focus of discussion during an online meeting on Tuesday from 6-8 p.m., sponsored in part by the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management, or DEM. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and DEM are handling the updates of the maps, called Flood Insurance Rate Maps, or FIRMs.

The areas of focus as part of the Weber County map update include 19.5 miles along the Weber River and 3 miles along the Ogden River. Flood maps for a 2-mile section of Burch Creek, a 4-mile stretch of Coldwater Gulch and a 7-mile section of Four Mile Creek are also to be updated.

If purchased with federally backed loans or federal funding, structures in high-risk areas of flooding — deemed as having a 1% chance of flooding in any given year — must be covered by flood insurance, according to Jamie Huff, risk map program manager for the DEM. Such high-risk areas at risk of 100-year floods, as they’re known, are called special flood hazard areas, or SFHAs.

Even if structures in an SFHA don’t have a federal loan, “owners are still strongly encouraged to purchase flood insurance. It is not required though,” Huff said. Owners of land outside flood hazard areas are also encouraged to get flood insurance, Huff said, because “flood waters do not necessarily coincide with the lines on flood maps.” Blockages on waterways, Huff noted, can alter the path of flood waters in unexpected ways.

Though the preliminary maps are still subject to review and comment, the initial indications are that 500 properties could be removed from flood hazard areas in Weber County, said Myers, indicating reduced risk for those areas. Another 100 properties are in line to be added to flood plains.

Huff said the map updates stem from the ever-evolving risks related to flooding. Different portions of Weber County’s flood maps were last updated in 2015 and 2005.

“Flood risk is not static and changes over time due to new construction and development, changing weather patterns, improved science and technology, and flood events that change the flood plain. Moreover, improved hydrology and hydraulic modeling help refine flood plain delineations,” Huff said.

Go to register.gotowebinar.com/register/7431663278612858896 to sign up for Tuesday’s meeting. During the meeting, the new maps will be available for review and those taking part will be able to comment and ask questions about how they will impact their property. The preliminary map data is already online at msc.fema.gov/fmcv and meeting hosts will provide guidance on how to read and interpret the information and detail the appeal process. Additional information on the federal flood program is also available at floodsmart.gov.

Preliminary map updates should become official after about 18 months, following review and any adjustments. The formal appeal period is to last 90 days, but the specific timeline has not yet been established.

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