T he L OMR Pr oc e ss fr om a Consultant’s Pe r spe c tive Char le s V. F itzge r ald Jr ., PE , CF M
Pr e se nte r Intr oduc tion B.S in Civil E ngine e r ing fr om Vir ginia T e c h Pr ofe ssional E ngine e r , L E E D AP, CF M lic e nse s E ngine e r at Bowman Consulting's F r e de r ic ksbur g offic e sinc e 2006 Wor k with c lie nts on a var ie ty of de ve lopme nt pr oje c ts with a par tic ular foc us on floodplain r e late d analyse s and studie s.
Pr e se ntation Goals Ide ntify the c onsultant's r ole in floodplain manage me nt. De sc r ibe the pr oc e ss thr ough whic h we pe r for m the studie s ne c e ssar y to pe r mit wor k in/ ar ound F E MA floodplains. De sc r ibe the e xpe c tations that landowne r s and de ve lope r s have of the c onsultant. De sc r ibe the e xpe c tations that loc al floodplain administr ator s and F E MA have of the c onsultant. Ide ntify pote ntial c onsultant shor tc omings. E xplain the var ious issue s that c an ar ise thr oughout the r e vie w pr oc e ss. Ide ntify "must- have " pie c e s of a suc c e ssful CL OMR/ L OMR applic ation.
Use ful De finitions L OMR = L e tte r of Map Re vision CL OMR = Conditional L e tte r of Map Re vision F IRM = F lood Insur anc e Rate Map F loodplain Administr ator = T he c ommunity offic ial who is r e sponsible for imple me nting and e nfor c ing floodplain manage me nt me asur e s and for monitor ing floodplain de ve lopme nt.
Pr e se ntation F oc us T his pr e se ntation is par tic ular ly foc use d on the F E MA CL OMR/ L OMR applic ations. Othe r topic s suc h as e le vation c e r tific ate s, L OMA's, L OMR- F 's and c oastal floodplains ar e ve r y impor tant but will not spe c ific ally be disc usse d in this pr e se ntation. A knowle dge able floodplain c onsultant should be able to assist c lie nts with all type s of F E MA r e que sts. T he e xample s in this pr e se ntation ar e r e pr e se ntative of many CL OMR/ L OMR pr oje c ts in this r e gion of Vir ginia. E ve r y pr oje c t has many var iable s that c an affe c t the floodplain study pr oc e ss; the give n e xample s have be e n simplifie d to aid in the par tic ipation of the audie nc e .
T opic #1: Consultant's Role Your fir m is wor king on a ne w de ve lopme nt pr oje c t with var ious str e ams, r ive r s, ponds, e tc . on the subje c t pr ope r ty. Is any par t of the pr ope r ty in a F E MA flood zone othe r than Zone "X"? If so, notify c lie nt! If de ve lopme nt is to oc c ur within the flood zone s, c onside r r e vising layout to avoid/ minimize impac ts. Many time s RPA's, we tlands and othe r issue s ar e loc ate d in and ar ound floodplains that may also dr ive the ne e d to stay away. If avoidanc e is not fe asible , ide ntify if/ what type of map ame ndme nt or r e vision is ne e de d.
T opic #1: Consultant's Role Me e t with c lie nt and e duc ate the m about what flood zone s ar e , why the y ar e mappe d on the pr ope r ty and what the loc al c ode & F E MA r e quir e the de ve lope r to do in or de r to de ve lop the pr ope r ty. Pe r for m ne c e ssar y hydr ologic / hydr aulic study and pur sue c ommunity ac knowle dge me nt le tte r fr om loc al floodplain administr ator . Submit CL OMR/ L OMR r e que st to F E MA and pr ovide additional data as r e que ste d by r e vie we r s. Notify affe c te d pr ope r ty owne r s. Show r e vise d or c onditional floodplain de line ation on all futur e de ve lopme nt plans and r e fe r e nc e the F E MA appr oval.
T opic #2: F loodplain Study Pr oc e ss You'r e wor king on the pr oje c t fr om the pr e vious e xample and have ide ntifie d a floodplain in F E MA Zone "A" on the pr ope r ty. T he floodplain c annot be avoide d with a layout r e vision and a r oad c r ossing is pr opose d ac r oss the floodplain. You've notifie d your c lie nt and ar e planning a me e ting with the m to disc uss the ne xt ste ps.
T opic #2: F loodplain Study Pr oc e ss At the c lie nt me e ting: Educate them about the FEMA flood zones and what must be done to permit the road crossing. Identify the scope of work necessary to: - study the existing floodplain (hydrology, hydraulics) - design the proposed road crossing - provide as-built inform ation on existing structures w ithin the floodplain that are not currently m apped. - provide Endangered Species Act (ESA) docum entation to FEMA (CLOMR requirem ent) - prepare the flood m ap revision docum ents - process the study through the local jurisdiction to obtain the com m unity acknow ledgem ent. - notify affected property ow ners. - subm it the study to FEMA and obtain a CLOMR
T opic #2: F loodplain Study Pr oc e ss At the c lie nt me e ting: Define a reasonable project timeline: - 60 days to gather data, prepare study and application m aterials - 90 days to obtain com m unity acknow ledgem ent - 120 days to com plete FEMA review and obtain CLOMR Ofte n, de ve lope r s vie w the flood study wor k as an unwante d e xtr a c ost and a sc he dule kille r . Inste ad, the c onsultant should pr e se nt the wor k as a ne c e ssar y and be ne fic ial pr oduc t that will e nsur e the suc c e ss of the pr oje c t to the e nd use r .
T opic #2: F loodplain Study Pr oc e ss Onc e author ize d to be gin the study: Define limits of the hydraulic study. Is there a nearby study (upstream or downstream) that should be tied into? If so, request the data from the FEMA engineering library. Does the local jurisdiction have any studies on file of the immediate area? Discuss study with local floodplain administrator. He/ she may have valuable insight regarding existing studies or other development nearby. Visit the site, take photos of study area.
T opic #2: F loodplain Study Pr oc e ss Onc e author ize d to be gin the study: Gather topographic, land use & soils data. Prepare the H&H analysis based on completed research. Prepare topographic workmap, annotated FIRM, other maps as necessary. Prepare appropriate FEMA forms (in this case, MT-2). Submit floodplain study package to local floodplain administrator, obtain community acknowledgement. Submit study to FEMA and obtain CLOMR approval.
T opic #2: F loodplain Study Pr oc e ss Afte r CL OMR is appr ove d, the n what? After CLOMR is approved, then what? Build road in accordance with CLOMR and construction plans. As-built survey the completed road. Prepare and submit LOMR package to local floodplain administrator, then FEMA. Obtain LOMR approval.
T opic #3: De ve lope r 's E xpe c tations of Consultant T he top pr ior ity for the de ve lope r is to maximize the give n pr oje c t's pr ofit pote ntial. This means maximizing usable site area, lot yield, etc. In cases where a floodplain on the property is already mapped and a detailed study is not necessarily required, is a revised study beneficial to the project as a whole? The consultant should be able to identify the merits of preparing a revised study and present the benefits/ drawbacks to the developer.
T opic #3: De ve lope r 's E xpe c tations of Consultant Pr oc e ss the CL OMR/ L OMR applic ation as affor dably as possible . Consultants should prepare an engineering fee and stick to it, no one likes change orders or fee increases for work that should have been included within the original scope. Consultants shouldn't reinvent the wheel. Previous studies can be a valuable resource to avoid re-studying adjacent areas. This can save time and money.
T opic #3: De ve lope r 's E xpe c tations of Consultant Pr oc e ss the CL OMR/ L OMR as quic kly as possible . Delays in local/ FEMA approvals can delay/ hold up construction plans being prepared and submitted concurrently. These delays can ultimately hold up an entire project. The consultant should educate the developer on the process and set reasonable schedules to allow for multiple reviews of the same materials by the local reviewers and FEMA reviewers.
T opic #4: F loodplain Administr ator 's E xpe c tations of Consultant F loodplain administr ator s e xpe c t c onsultants to wor k with the m to e nsur e impr ove me nts & r e visions to F E MA maps ar e ac c ur ate and base d on sound e ngine e r ing pr ac tic e & judgme nt. Ge ne r ally the c onsultant is muc h mor e familiar with the give n pr ope r ty or ar e a be ing studie d and the y must be able to pr ovide the floodplain administr ator with the infor mation the y ne e d to appr ove the study. Othe r e xample s?
T opic #5: Pote ntial Consultant Shor tc omings Unfamiliar ity with the L OMR/ CL OMR pr oc e ss. L ac k of knowle dge of loc al/ F E MA r e quir e me nts. Unde r e stimation of sc ope of e ngine e r ing study, r e quir e d as- builts and othe r infor mation. Misunde r standing of the flood map r e vision pr oc e ss and the time line of suc h a r e que st.
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