HomeMy WebLinkAboutFEMAThe PAL period has expired and the design and construction data for these levees has not
bec;n submitted. .l~s a result and according to established PAL processes, FEMA is
.required to initiate a map revision to de-accredit these levees. It is yet to be determined
- haw impacted areas on the landward side of these levees will be remapped. Portions of the
south side o~the Sycamore-Mud Creek Levee System were dcte;rmined to be in
ca,~131sanea. with 4cl CFR F5.1.(.l, ~c nntecl in the encl~~ed FEMA letter elated May 1~. 2011 _
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Mr. Steve Lambert ~ '';
_ August 24.2011
_ Pagc 2'of
Qn March 10;:2011,. FERIA Administrator Craig Fugate issued the Agency's formal
respgnse to inciuiries from Coxzgrzss concerning FEIv.1,~4's c~u-rcnt analysis nzethads for
communities affected by levees. Admittistz•ator Fugate cornrnitted to e~cploring FEMA's
current approach tiscd ta.icleiztify the flood hazard in arcas'I?ehind levees drat cannot be
-.; reco`~r>ized as:prc~~viding:protection from tl~e ease flood (non-accrzdited levees). FE1vL1
his establisliec3 a ii~ultrclrseplinar}~ Project Teaan with representatives from Fl;l~~.,--the
USAGE, and experts from the academic and.engineering con~.xa~uz~ities to develop
altenriative approaches to :modelirigthe 'flood hazards in these areas on FIRMs.: This effort
will pravyde Vetter inforrnatiozi fox flood insurance; floodplain n~anageriient,. and flood risk
eornmruucation purposes. Qnce the approaches foi• identi Eying flood hazards behind Ievees
are firialrzed,;FEMA tivillmake the approaches mailable -for public revietiv and coirunent.
:.:. _; __Opce ntw le~~ artal~~~is~rriethszd~ have;bzen ~nalzzcd, FED<1A will.:.incorpoxate-the det3ileel .:
riveririe:restudies for: Sycazriore-Mud tfreck,-.into a subsequent ziiap revision. 12eznapping
~viil lie canductetl'irz concert witli'.tlie Central Valley Ploodplari Evaluation and
Deliz~eatron Program and:the Levee Evaluation Program lead by the L:aliforiua Department ;.
of Water Resortrces {CA DWR). <Curr~~it factshe~ts for these pr•~grarns are available for -
doti~riiload at http://vvww.waterca;gov/floodsa~e/faofsl~ectsl:
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Aithoi~glx the analysis, modeling, and-flood hazard mapping of these let+ee areas is yet to:
13e determined, the flood risk which these levees were built to reduce, still remains. As .
FEMA develops new analyrical approaches to iuappin~ hazardsalong :levees; we trust.that
Butte'-County will continue to proznate #lood,risk-awareness arzd-local preparedness to the...
'residents within your community.-
Please understand that FEMA is not seeking:regulatory°cliaizges to Title 44, ,Chapter 1,
Seetioin 65.10'afthe Code of Federal Regulations.{44 GFR 65.10) during-this process.
Levee owners and/or-the associated communities should remain engaged in flood risk -
management activities and will stall be requited to provide levee certification fox the levees
to be shown on a FIRM as accredited.
- If you :are cun.:ently preparing the required certification clocurnentation or if your
communit is currentl ~ a to rel~abili-tate or construct required zzz~ipro~rements along,
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the levee-system, please continue your progress on these activities and inform FEMA of
any schedule updates or milestones reached.
We hope this information helps clat-ify the current status of mapping areas protected by
levees in yotiu conunufuty and lzow FEMA will progress ire the future. If you have
questions ox need additional infoz-rnation regarding flood mapping, please contact Kathleen
Schaefer, o.f our Risk Analysis Branch by telephone at (S l d) 627-7129, or by e~~nail at
kathl een. schaefer@dhs. gov.
Sincerely,
Sally Ziolkow ', Director
Mitigation Division
2. A report prepared by Lt~rnos and Associates. Signed by Francis P. McKinley; P.E_, titled;
Sycanaare anti Mucl Creeks P~^ovisivr~ally.~ccrcadiled Levee (P,~T,) Report, r~aled .1'anr.~tx,y
27, 201`1
3. A report prepared by United States Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE}, Sacrumentn,
California titled: Desrgra .~~e1na7'fl14CJZ1111 ~~0. 5 Sacr'Q111e311D IZIVeI' and naaju~• crud Minor
~, Mtaitate~ance 1'la~s axed Sri#eri~: ~u}~porting 1~~aexi#a~ion ~vievvesi ~~ fo~rtd fo
be i~ ccsa~~li~n ~vi#b 44 CSR 55.14{ci) .
. Ali ofthe above dvcua~en#atioa aatci aia~g whh. ~e pre~oi~.sly s~ba~i#.t~t d~tt~tea,
have.be~ reviewed ~d based an ~rere~pt ofthis i~far€~a~tiaa. FE1Vf~,. has d~te~ fat ~
south side aftie Sycaxno-.lViud Creek ~.e~ree ~ysterr~ ~.ev~e ~ Nvs_ 1 X64, ~ i ", ~2~3, X244,
127, 13tD4, 135, ~d 13d1S~, ~seets ~~ ~i~ eil~ea~a~ s-ritet~ a~atli~ser~ 1n ~!4 CF1~ 65.10.
'~ere~c~~, ~A ~ revise Yi~e ~igit~' Flood ~amee Rate Msp ~~ to sht~w the south
Side Q~the Ievse system ~ ~~vidiag prv#e~#i~n from ~+~ 1-scent-at~ual,chauce {use) flood.
'The sates gr~teeted fro~z the base flaad by this levee viii be ~aplred as a s~ds~ a ~: aid ~~
lvlr. Fri#z McKir~lcy
May a?,?U1I - ;
Page 3 _ =
existing note ~~ill bz replaced ~vitli a t~varning n.otc s.ho~ving thdt the.levee i accredited but tliat:a
flood risk still':cxists.
Tlie Calii-ornia Deparkment of Water ltesflurces;{CA DWR) cur~'ent geotechnical testing pragr~~
'for urban and tton.-urban levees produccd'the required data to performs "geat~cl~nieal analyses
required to rn~et 44 CFR 65.1.0 requirements for: tlae ~ycatnore Mud: Creek'.L.evee System. As
nat~d above, Levee ID Nas.1 "i 64, 1173, 123, 12~1~, 127S, 13.0~,:I306, ahcl 1308 comprise the
soutl~ side ol'ttie Sycamore=Mud [:reek Levee Systerri. These levee secmenis, which will be
mapped a~ acaredite.d as doctfn~cnted in this letter, cathprise the urbazz porti.pn of the levee
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system:. The levee "segments; on the north side of the levee system coanprise:the non urban portion
of the levee system. 'Phe CA: DWR~,geoteehnical testing-.for tlae pion-urban portion of the levee
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.....- ~ .system-quill begin in thesurrizner":of X011: Those xe_sults`~vill'be used to analyze. ti~+hcther`c.r r~o~ ~~1 - '-.
GFR 65.10. requirements can be rnet for. the non-urban':levee segments on the north side of the `
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S czrnure-Mull Creek Levu.
sf ~ ~ syst~n~.
`Please be advised that levee systems oral t}ia estimated level of protection pravid~d by these " . _
systems;can and do change`with #ime,'Future triap updates may regttire "the levee.systerri to be
certifed agair;at the'tirne o£update Aiso design, construction, opera#ic~n, "and/or maintenance
documents rr~ay be requested. at any". tirn.e Deviations front •tlte documentation and :data, 5ubrriifted
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to FEMA could result in -the- levee systerri ~~a longer bring rhapped a5` providing protectiazl frotri
the Vase fl~odon "firhire FIRIvIs. Tf at any po.int:additional infoirnation is provideel'to EEMA that., ~ .
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shows the levee system no longer meets cei•tifieat~on crteraa as outlined in 44 CFR 65.10; FEMA
will contact the levee-owner and comrriuity about the possibli#y ofde-accrediting the levee
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system: '. -,
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-.Even though, ~r+e have mapped. the refererceed levees. as>providing protectioa from the 1-percent-
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annual-chance flood, it is important to note that levees are::only designed to provide a specific.
-level of protection. They can be overtopged or fail in larger flood events. Levee systems require
regular maintenance and periodic upgrades to retain their-level of protection. When levees do
fail, they fail catastrophically, and damage naay be more significant than if the levee was not
there. Therefore, we encourage you to annually discuss the status and condidan of your levees
with yoiir governing.body. Additionally; it.is.liighIy recommendedthat you consider this risk in
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.:your local emergency management "plans; inciiding creating evacua#on plans i'or this-area.
Everyone should understand the risk to life andproperty that resides behind levees-risk that
even the best flood-control system can not cainpletely eliminate. For this reason, FEMA
encourages people to understand their risk. The National Flood Insurance Program {NFIP) was
created to reduce flood damages by identifying flood risks, encouraging sound community
floodplain management practices, and providing flood insurance to lessen the financial impact of
flooding. Through the NFIP, property owners in participating communities are able to purchase
flood insurance that vvill insure against flood losses. We hope that you will encourage property
owners to purchase flood insurance. •
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1i11G1~ ,kE35IL tiil[Et~!S1S~Did71UiE
. , . - _... __,. ~..~.~... _ . _..: 1Vli~at atian D~visio~
C0~,7ieS ~liT'ili$~'led:
David Burkla~d City Manager,,City ofC~ico
Nutt Thompson, Senior Civ~ "Engeeir; ~e~i'~rs and Storm Drain Secticin, City ~o~ Chico
Nelson George, $uilding,& Developme~t.S~rv~ces, Flaodplain Administrator, City o£Chico
Mike Crump, Director of Public Works; ButteCouniy
Eric Schra~l, Land Development Di~~sion,: Eutte Cauniy
Jay Puma, Geneiral;Manager Ceatrai valley. Fioocl ~otcctian Board
Ricardo P~neda, ,Chief, CA .D~'R NF~P ~#at~ :~oord~a#or; Floocipia Management Branch
Lisa Messano, Michael Barer 3r Inc..
Marc Mclnt~ish, Water Resources Engineer, UR~~'Cor~oration
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