{"id":1038,"date":"2019-08-02T12:24:38","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T16:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regionslead.org\/?p=1038"},"modified":"2020-07-08T16:15:48","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T16:15:48","slug":"water-has-no-bounds-regional-councils-take-the-lead-on-flood-planning-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/narc.org\/2019\/08\/02\/water-has-no-bounds-regional-councils-take-the-lead-on-flood-planning-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Has No Bounds: Regional Councils Take the Lead on Flood Planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to the National\nResources Defense Council<\/a>, flooding throughout the country will continue to\nbe intensified by sea level rise and extreme weather. In fact, the nation\u2019s\nfloodplains are expected to grow an average of 45%<\/a> by the year\n2100. 500-year and 100-year floods are now occurring more often than expected,\nleaving communities everywhere at risk for major economic and public safety concerns.\nAs local officials grapple with these new trends, many are looking regionally\nto tackle this widespread problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether flooding takes\nplace on the gulf coast, the urban streets of Pittsburgh, or a small town along\nthe Missouri River, communities across the U.S. must develop ways to handle the\naftermath of flooding. Flooding does not start and stop at jurisdictional\nboundaries. This is evident from previous years\u2019 hurricanes, flash floods up\nand down the east coast, and the recent\nflooding devastation<\/a> that urban and rural communities in the Midwest are\nstill recovering from. The Omaha-Council Bluffs\nMetropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA)<\/a> is helping local officials in\nNebraska and Iowa coordinate resources in the aftermath of the Missouri River flooding.\nThe region is focused on recovering and reestablishing what has been damaged\nand lost in the region\u2019s worst flooding event in history. MAPA is hopeful to\none day establish a committee dedicated to providing information to local\nofficials, reduce redundancies across governing bodies, and coordinate planning\nefforts in both states. The increased frequency of these climate-related\nflooding events is causing many regional leaders to seek new and inventive\nsolutions to mitigate this problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of NARC\u2019s members\nare acting as regional partners to combat major flooding through a complex\nconsortium of stormwater user fees and taxes, green infrastructure, zoning\nregulations, long-term stormwater designs, and flood risk mapping tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risk Mapping Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hazard and risk mapping are\nextremely valuable in times of crisis and disaster management. The Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC)<\/a> provides\nits region with a zip\nzone map<\/a> so residents know what evacuation zone\nthey\u2019re in. This includes state-supported evacuation routes with\nidentified resources<\/a> such\nas fuel and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers. These mapping and\nzoning resources, coupled with the HGAC regional plan, improve the quality of\nlife for Texans. In HGAC\u2019s Our Great Region 2040<\/em><\/a>\nplan, they highlighted the necessity for structural\nsolutions<\/a> \u2013 including dikes, flood gates, and drainage\nimprovements \u2013 to protect key assets, but their cost means this approach must\nbe carefully targeted. HGAC\u2019s Regional Flood Management Committee also addresses\nthese issues to effectively manage the floodplain and provide coordination among\nall parties involved to ensure the entire watershed is protected. Tools like\nthese help ensure cooperation and coordination takes place within a region in\nthe event of a major flood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green Infrastructure <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green\ninfrastructure<\/a> uses vegetation, soils, and other elements\nand practices to restore some of the natural processes required to manage water\nand create healthier urban environments. Both urban and rural communities are\nusing green infrastructure to reduce and treat stormwater at its source while\ndelivering environmental, social, and economic benefits to their areas. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments\n(SEMCOG)<\/a> is developing a\nregional green strategy by providing the region with a Great\nLakes Green Streets Guidebook<\/em><\/a>,which provides a sampling of projects throughout the region utilizing green\ninfrastructure techniques. Another tool SEMCOG uses in their regional strategy\nis the Wisconsin\nGreen Infrastructure Guide<\/a> \u2013 an audit of local\ncodes and ordinances that often create a barrier to green infrastructure\nprojects. SEMCOG is also working on an asset management project that will\ncoordinate projects across jurisdictional boundaries and planning sectors in a\ncohesive and cost-saving manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stormwater Taxes and\nFees <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stormwater fees are\nanother tool regions are using to better prepare for flooding. In Pennsylvania,\nfor example, several municipalities are in the process of implementing local stormwater\nordinances. Stormwater fees and authorities are especially important for\nmunicipalities that operate municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s),\nbecause they allow local and regional areas to charge system users and generate\nfunds to help pay for upgrades and future improvement projects. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC)<\/a> produces\na  Forces\nof Change Exploratory Scenario Reports<\/em><\/a>document\nlisting stormwater fees as a primary proactive strategy to protect communities\nfrom flooding and harmful pollution. This is produced by the Water Resource Center<\/a>\n(WRC), first formulated in 2013 to address water-related concerns in the\nregion. In addition to stormwater fees, 518 of the 548 municipalities in the SPC region are a part of the National\nFlood Insurance Program (NFIP) and three municipalities (Upper St. Clair, Etna,\nand Shafer) in Allegheny County have opted into Community Rating Systems (CRS)\nto manage activities that exceed minimum NFIP requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past decade more flooding in the United States<\/a> is occurring in the Mississippi River\nValley, Midwest, and Northeast, while domestic coastal flooding<\/a> has doubled in a matter of decades. Advanced\npreparation can save communities time and money and protect citizens. Regional\nstrategies are critical to establish emergency and disaster preparation to\nminimize flood impacts. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many of NARC\u2019s members are acting as regional partners to combat major flooding through a complex consortium of stormwater user fees and taxes, green infrastructure, zoning regulations, long-term stormwater designs, and flood risk mapping tools. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":68504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[45,6,138],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-energy-environment","category-energy-environment-blog-2"],"yoast_head":"\nWater Has No Bounds: Regional Councils Take the Lead on Flood Planning - 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