Comment period to FEMA updates

PRESS RELEASE
November 15, 2015

UPDATE
PRESS RELEASE
December 1, 2015

Public meeting with FEMA Consultation Coordination Officer, December 3, 2015

GARFIELD COUNTY – A public meeting for citizens to speak with a FEMA Consultation Coordinator Officer is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, at the Garfield County Administration Building at 108 8th Street, in Glenwood Springs. The meeting will address information on FEMA’s Revised Preliminary Floodplain Maps for portions of Garfield County.

The agenda is as follows:
1 – 3 p.m.: City of Glenwood Springs, Garfield County and appellants for the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Pool

3:30 – 5 p.m.: City of Glenwood Springs, Garfield County, and appellants for other Revised Preliminary Maps

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Presentation, including a question and answer session with FEMA representatives for other interested parties, and those who cannot attend during the afternoon sessions

Additional information on the meeting and Revised Preliminary Maps is available in an initial press release shown below, on the Garfield County website home page and in the Community Development Department website section.

Additional information is available from FEMA, by contacting Dawn Gladwell, P.E., FEMA Region VIII at (303) 235-4718, or Dawn.Gladwell@fema.dhs.gov.

For questions regarding the meeting and Garfield County’s portion of the process, please contact:
Glenn Hartmann, Senior Planner and CFM
Community Development Department
970-945-1377, ext. 1570 email


Comment period open on selected updates to FEMA to floodplain mapping
Comments to FEMA requested by November 15, 2015 Public Meeting with FEMA Consultation Coordination Officer, December 3, 2015

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting comments, following the release of its revised draft to the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (D-FIRM), for portions of Garfield County that were subject to previous appeals or updates due to corrections of the elevation datum. Citizens who wish to submit comments on the revised draft maps for these specific areas of the county are requested to do so by November 15, 2015.

FEMA did a preliminary revision to its floodplain mapping in 2012. The 2015 revised draft D-FIRM maps reflect responses to appeals that were filed on several properties in Garfield County and corrections to the elevation datum on several maps that occurred after the initial release of the preliminary floodplain mapping. These areas are:

  • El Rocko Mobile Home Park (south of Glenwood Springs)
  • Riverside Cottages (south of Glenwood Springs on County Road 154)
  • Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge and Pool and Roaring Fork/Colorado River confluence area
  • Mitchell Creek at Center Drive
  • Mitchell Creek at the Colorado River
  • Helmer Gulch (Rifle Village South area)
  • Colorado River – Manera property (vicinity of 1645 County Road 335)
  • Cattle Creek
  • Four Mile

The FEMA review process involves multiple stages. The preliminary comment period allows comments to be submitted by November 15, 2015 on the revised draft of the D-FIRM maps.

A FEMA Consultation Coordinator Officer (CCO) public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 3. The meeting will be held at the Garfield County Administration Building at 108 8th Street in Glenwood Springs, and is open to the public. Officials will respond to comments and answer questions.

After the CCO meeting, FEMA staff will schedule a 90-day appeal period. FEMA will notify the county two weeks prior to the beginning of the 90-day appeal period. After the appeal period, FEMA will prepare final maps and documents, including the flood plain maps, Flood Insurance Study, and Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The final maps and reports will become effective approximately ten months after being finalized. FEMA will notify the county before the effective date, and will provide that information to the public.

The current FEMA review process for the revised maps will focus only on the areas subject to appeals and corrections noted above.

Please submit comments regarding the revised draft to the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps to Dawn Gladwell. (Please note, FEMA staff prefers that technical comments be provided in digital format, such as shape files.)

Dawn Gladwell, P.E., FEMA Region VIII
Federal Center Building 710
PO Box 25267 Lakewood, CO 80225-0267
phone: (303) 235-4718
email: Dawn.Gladwell@fema.dhs.gov

Garfield County has retained a professional engineer to review responses to appeals on the above properties. Garfield County Community Development staff anticipates this will be the final review process prior to formally adopting the new maps, and any comments and input need to be provided to FEMA at this time. Once adopted, the new maps will replace the old maps, and will be utilized by the county for review of all proposals within the floodplain, including flood proofing and elevation requirements, and by FEMA for flood insurance rating and purchase purposes.

Further documentation, including updated FEMA maps, as well as the 2012 versions, is available at garfield-county.com/community-development/fema-floodplain-mapping. Updates are also available on the Garfield County home page.

For questions regarding the county’s portion of this process, please contact:
Glenn Hartmann, Senior Planner and CFM
Community Development Department
970-945-1377, ext. 1570