Preliminary Flood Insurance Study Information Volume 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VOLUME 1 OF 4 YORK COUNTY, MAINE (ALL JURISDICTIONS) COMMUNITY NAME NUMBER COMMUNITY NAME NUMBER ACTON, TOWN OF 230190 OGUNQUIT, TOWN OF 230632 ALFRED, TOWN OF 230191 OLD ORCHARD BEACH, TOWN OF 230153 ARUNDEL, TOWN Of 230192 PARSONSFIELD, TOWN OF 230154 BERWICK, TOWN OF 230144 SACO, CITY OF 230155 BIDDEFORD, CITY OF 230145 SANFORD, CITY OF 230156 BUXTON, TOWN OF 230146 SHAPLEIGH, TOWN OF 230198 CORNISH, TOWN OF 230147 SOUTH BERWICK, TOWN OF 230157 DAYTON, TOWN OF 230148 WATERBORO, TOWN OF 230199 ELIOT, TOWN OF 230149 WELLS, TOWN OF 230158 HOLLIS, TOWN OF 230150 YORK, TOWN OF 230159 KENNEBUNK, TOWN OF 230151 KENNEBUNKPORT, TOWN OF 230170 KITTERY, TOWN OF 230171 LEBANON, TOWN OF 230193 LIMERICK, TOWN OF 230194 LIMINGTON, TOWN OF 230152 LYMAN, TOWN OF 230195 NEWFIELD, TOWN OF 230196 NORTH BERWICK, TOWN OF 230197 EFFECTIVE: FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY NUMBER 23005CV001A Version Number 2.3.2.1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume 1 Page SECTION 1.0 – INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 The National Flood Insurance Program 1 1.2 Purpose of this Flood Insurance Study Report 2 1.3 Jurisdictions Included in the Flood Insurance Study Project 2 1.4 Considerations for using this Flood Insurance Study Report 20 SECTION 2.0 – FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS 31 2.1 Floodplain Boundaries 31 2.2 Floodways 43 2.3 Base Flood Elevations 44 2.4 Non-Encroachment Zones 44 2.5 Coastal Flood Hazard Areas 45 2.5.1 Water Elevations and the Effects of Waves 45 2.5.2 Floodplain Boundaries and BFEs for Coastal Areas 46 2.5.3 Coastal High Hazard Areas 47 2.5.4 Limit of Moderate Wave Action 48 SECTION 3.0 – INSURANCE APPLICATIONS 49 3.1 National Flood Insurance Program Insurance Zones 49 3.2 Coastal Barrier Resources System 51 SECTION 4.0 – AREA STUDIED 51 4.1 Basin Description 51 4.2 Principal Flood Problems 52 4.3 Non-Levee Flood Protection Measures 54 4.4 Levees 57 SECTION 5.0 – ENGINEERING METHODS 58 5.1 Hydrologic Analyses 58 5.2 Hydraulic Analyses 78 5.3 Coastal Analyses 106 5.3.1 Total Stillwater Elevations 110 5.3.2 Waves 111 5.3.3 Coastal Erosion 111 5.3.4 Wave Hazard Analyses 112 5.4 Alluvial Fan Analyses 123 i TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued Volume 1 - continued Figures Page Figure 1: FIRM Index 23 Figure 2: FIRM Notes to Users 24 Figure 3: Map Legend for FIRM 27 Figure 4: Floodway Schematic 43 Figure 5: Wave Runup Transect Schematic 46 Figure 6: Coastal Transect Schematic 48 Figure 7: Frequency Discharge-Drainage Area Curves 76 Figure 8: 1% Annual Chance Total Stillwater Elevations for Coastal Areas 110 Figure 9: Transect Location Map 121 Tables Page Table 1: Listing of NFIP Jurisdictions 2 Table 2: Flooding Sources Included in this FIS Report 33 Table 3: Flood Zone Designations by Community 50 Table 4: Coastal Barrier Resources System Information 51 Table 5: Basin Characteristics 52 Table 6: Principal Flood Problems 52 Table 7: Historic Flooding Elevations 54 Table 8: Non-Levee Flood Protection Measures 54 Table 9: Levees 57 Table 10: Summary of Discharges 64 Table 11: Summary of Non-Coastal Stillwater Elevations 77 Table 12: Stream Gage Information used to Determine Discharges 78 Table 13: Summary of Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analyses 89 Table 14: Roughness Coefficients 105 Table 15: Summary of Coastal Analyses 107 Table 16: Tide Gage Analysis Specifics 111 Table 17: Coastal Transect Parameters 113 Table 18: Summary of Alluvial Fan Analyses 123 Table 19: Results of Alluvial Fan Analyses 123 Volume 2 SECTION 6.0 – MAPPING METHODS 124 6.1 Vertical and Horizontal Control 124 6.2 Base Map 125 6.3 Floodplain and Floodway Delineation 126 6.4 Coastal Flood Hazard Mapping 190 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued Volume 2 - continued 6.5 FIRM Revisions 200 6.5.1 Letters of Map Amendment 200 6.5.2 Letters of Map Revision Based on Fill 200 6.5.3 Letters of Map Revision 201 6.5.4 Physical Map Revisions 202 6.5.5 Contracted Restudies 202 6.5.6 Community Map History 202 SECTION 7.0 – CONTRACTED STUDIES AND COMMUNITY COORDINATION 204 7.1 Contracted Studies 204 7.2 Community Meetings 213 SECTION 8.0 – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 217 SECTION 9.0 – BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES 219 Tables Page Table 20: Countywide Vertical Datum Conversion 124 Table 21: Stream-Based Vertical Datum Conversion 125 Table 22: Base Map Sources 126 Table 23: Summary of Topographic Elevation Data used in Mapping 127 Table 24: Floodway Data 128 Table 25: Flood Hazard and Non-Encroachment Data for Selected Streams 190187 Table 26: Summary of Coastal Transect Mapping Considerations 191 Table 27: Incorporated Letters of Map Change 201 Table 28: Community Map History 203 Table 29: Summary of Contracted Studies Included in this FIS Report 205 Table 30: Community Meetings 214 Table 31: Map Repositories 217 Table 32: Additional Information 219 Table 33: Bibliography and References 220 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued Volume 3 – continued Exhibits Flood Profiles Panel Batson River 01-02 P Blacksmith Brook 03 P Bridges Swamp 04 P Cape Neddick River 05-06 P Chickering Creek 07 P Cider Hill Creek 08-09 P Coffin Brook 10 P Coffin Brook Tributary 1 11-12 P Cooks Brook 13-16 P Day Brook 17 P Depot Brook 18 P Dolly Gordon Brook 19-20 P Driscoll Brook 21-22 P Ferguson Brook 23-24 P Fuller Brook 25 P Goodall Brook 26 P Goosefare Brook 27-29 P Great Works River 30-41 P Green Brook 42-43 P Hill Creek 44 P Josias River 45 P Keay Brook 46-47 P Kennebunk River 48-53 P Little Ossipee River 54-66 P Little River (Town of Berwick) 67-70 P Little River (Town of Cornish) 71 P Little River (Town of Kennebunk) 72 P Little River 73-74 P Littlefield River 75-78 P Merriland River (Lower Reach) 79 P Merriland River (Upper Reach) 80 P Middle Branch Mousam River 81 P Mill Brook 82 P Moors Brook 83 P iv TABLE OF CONTENTS - continued Volume 4 Exhibits Flood Profiles Panel Mousam River (City of Sanford) 84-89 P Mousam River (Lower Reach) 90-91 P Mousam River (Town of Kennebunk) 92-95 P Mulloy Brook 96 P Ogunquit River 97-99 P Ogunquit River Tributary 100 P Ossipee River 101-106 P Saco River 107-124 P Saco River - Left Channel 125 P Salmon Falls River 126-141 P Sawyer Brook 142 P Smith Brook 143 P South Branch of West Brook 144 P Spinney Creek 145 P Spruce Creek 146 P Stevens Brook 147 P Thatcher Brook 148 P Tributary 1 to Cape Neddick River 149 P Tributary 1 to Green Brook 150 P Tributary to Middle Branch Mousam River 151 P Unnamed Tributary to Stony Brook 152 P Webhannet River 153 P West Brook 154 P Worster Brook 155-157 P Worster Brook Tributary 3 158-159 P Published Separately Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) v FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY REPORT YORK COUNTY, MAINE SECTION 1.0 – INTRODUCTION 1.1 The National Flood Insurance Program The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a voluntary Federal program that enables property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance protection against losses from flooding. This insurance is designed to provide an alternative to disaster assistance to meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods. For decades, the national response to flood disasters was generally limited to constructing flood-control works such as dams, levees, sea-walls, and the like, and providing disaster relief to flood victims. This approach did not reduce losses nor did it discourage unwise development. In some instances, it may have actually encouraged additional development. To compound the problem, the public generally could not buy flood coverage from insurance companies, and building techniques to reduce flood damage were often overlooked. In the face of mounting flood losses and escalating costs of disaster relief to the general taxpayers, the U.S. Congress created the NFIP. The intent was to reduce future flood damage through community floodplain management ordinances, and provide protection for property owners against potential losses through an insurance mechanism that requires a premium to be paid for the protection. The U.S. Congress established the NFIP on August 1, 1968, with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The NFIP was broadened and modified with the passage of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 and other legislative measures. It was further modified by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 and the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004. The NFIP is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Participation in the NFIP is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government. If a community adopts and enforces floodplain management regulations to reduce future flood risks to new construction and substantially improved structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community as a financial protection against flood losses. The community’s floodplain management regulations must meet or exceed criteria established in accordance with Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 60, Criteria for Land Management and Use . SFHAs are delineated on the community’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). Under the NFIP, buildings that were built before the flood hazard was identified on the community’s FIRMs are generally referred to as “Pre-FIRM” buildings. When the NFIP was created, the U.S. Congress recognized that insurance for Pre-FIRM buildings would be prohibitively expensive if the premiums were not subsidized by the Federal 1 Government.