Council approves submitting application of revised floodplain map
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, June 16th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – Monday night the La Grande City Council discussed the proposed floodplain mapping revisions and voted to move forward with submitting an application to FEMA for a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR). The intent of this application is for the City to receive new and updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMS).
Overall, the floodplain analysis shows that the 100-year floodplain is being reduced in size across the South most of the City to more closely following the creeks and drainage channels. However, there are a few new 100-year floodplain areas that are being added such as along Mill Creek and Deal Creek in the Southwest and West part of the City.
The City Council heard from property owners that will be affected by the remapping who voiced concerns about the potential impacts to their property’s resale value as well as questioned the accuracy of the analysis. The City Public Works Director explained that the analysis performed follows the guidance and rules established by FEMA and uses modern 3D and Lidar technology.
The FEMA review process is anticipated to take approximately 2 years, which may include additional mapping revisions required by FEMA to comply with Federal rules. Once the FEMA process is complete and the City gets new flood maps, the City will start another public process to notify property owners and hold public meetings before adopting the new maps.
