8/30/04

Residents Invited to Review Floodplain Maps at Town Meeting
More Accurate Maps Show Detailed Floodplain for Neuse River Basin

Holly Springs residents are invited to a public meeting to view and learn more about new state Flood Insurance Rate Maps that more accurately delineate the Neuse River Basin 100-year floodplain, as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The 100-year floodplain consists of land near rivers and streams that has a 1% chance of being flooded per year.

Current FEMA floodplain designation is limited to more significant rivers and streams that have a minimum 1-square-mile drainage area. In Holly Springs, Middle Creek and a couple of its tributaries are the only FEMA-designated floodplains. FEMA floodplains are regulated by the Town of Holly Springs under a program of delegation from the state. In addition to the minimum standards required by the state under this program, Holly Springs also regulates locally designated floodplain areas, specific locations the Town has flagged for needing additional flood prevention measures.

The Holly Springs public meetingwill be held from 4-6 p.m., Sept. 9, 2004, in the Holleman Meeting Hall on the first floor of Town Hall, 128 S. Main Street. A FEMA state outreach coordinator and Town staff will be on hand for the discussion. The Town will mail notices about the meeting to property owners with Neuse River Basin FEMA floodplain areas on their property as depicted by the new maps, available online at www.ncfloodmaps.com.

In mid-July, the NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety unveiled the new floodplain maps, which were created in partnership with FEMA. The last time the maps were produced was in 1992. The state now plans to update the maps every three years to provide accurate data as elevations of property change due to development, as more precise topographic maps become available and as development occurs that impacts storm water runoff. According to the NC Department of Crime Control, the commitment to re-map the state’s 100-year floodplains was one result of the devastation caused by Hurricane Floyd.

Fortunately, not many structures in Holly Springs have been built in the 100-year floodplain, said Heather Keefer, environmental specialist with the Town of Holly Springs Engineering Department. In 1997, the state began to mandate buffer requirements along streams in the Neuse River Basin that keep development away from flood-prone areas. And, in 2001, the Town specifically updated its flood ordinance to prohibit residential development in both FEMA and locally designated floodplains.

While the new floodplain maps available for review at the meeting and online are for the Neuse River Basin, which in Holly Springs is generally east of Main Street and Avent Ferry Road, the state will release new FEMA maps for the Cape Fear River Basin within a few months. A similar meeting for west Holly Springs property owners with land in the Cape Fear River Basin will be held once those maps are produced.

If residents are unable to attend the Sept. 9 meeting, maps can be viewed online at www.ncfloodmaps.com and at the Town Engineering Department in Town Hall. To schedule a meeting to view the maps in Town Hall or for more information, contact Keefer at (919) 557-2909.

Town of Holly Springs - PO Box 8 - 128 South Main Street - Holly Springs, NC 27540 - (919) 552-6221 - Holly.Springs@hollyspringsnc.us