The City has received revised preliminary flood plain maps for the community. The City filed a protest of the first set of preliminary maps after it was discovered that FEMA did not use the newer, more detailed topographic data provided by the City to define the flood plain boundaries.
The public will note significant changes to the flood plain boundaries on most of Mason City’s streams. Large areas of the community that were shown in higher risk flood areas on the first set of preliminary maps have been removed. Areas that were known to be flood prone that were not mapped into a higher risk flood area in the first preliminary maps are now placed in a higher risk flood area. No changes were made to the preliminary maps in the area along the Winnebago River and along Cheslea Creek from 19th Street SW north to the point where the creek intersects Willow Creek. These two stream reaches were originally mapped with higher quality topographic data than the City could provide.
A 30-day comment period commenced on June 7, 2011. The City will have 30 days to examine the maps and inform FEMA of any changes that need to be made. At the end of the comment period, the maps will be reviewed through FEMA’s national quality control process and will then be formally adopted. The City does not anticipate that the maps will be adopted until late fall or early winter of 2011.
The maps are posted for public viewing in the 2nd Floor hallway at City Hall, 10 First Street NW, Mason City. Staff in the Growth Development & Planning Department, 3rd Floor of City Hall, will be available to take questions and comments.
|
