Towanda Boro challenges FEMA’s preliminary flood rate map [The Daily Review, Towanda, Pa.]

May 25--TOWANDA -- Towanda Borough is challenging the accuracy of FEMA's preliminary flood insurance rate map for the borough, saying that it would force some people to buy flood insurance who don't need it.

Two of the 100-year flood zones on the map, which show land that would be expected to flood during the worst flood in 100 years, are too large, Towanda Borough Manager Tom Fairchild Jr. said.

Property owners in these two flood zones who borrowed money from a bank would be required by the bank to have flood insurance, and there would also be restrictions in place on how buildings could be constructed in the zones, he said.

"Flood insurance is needed to protect property owners, but they should be in the proper district, which needs to be very carefully defined," he said at the most recent meeting of the Towanda Borough Council.

Fairchild said he wrote a letter earlier this month to FEMA, objecting to the size of the two flood zones.

FEMA and its consultant have been updating the old flood insurance rate maps across the state for the past several years, and are now updating the rate maps in Bradford County, which is the last county to be done, Fairchild said.

Towanda's current flood insurance rate map dates back to 1981, although the work to produce the map was done earlier than that, shortly after the 1972 Agnes flood, he said.

One of the 100-year flood zones that is too large includes Mix Avenue and land north and south of Mix Avenue, including some of the homes along North Main Street and William Street, he said. Much of the land in the Mix Avenue flood zone did not flood during Tropical Storm Lee or the Agnes flood of 1972, Fairchild said.

The other flood zone that the borough has objected to is further west, and includes land along Mix Run, including properties on Elm and Lombard streets and part of the Towanda School District campus, he said.

The replacement of a 4-foot diameter storm sewer pipe that carries Mix Run down Elm Street with a larger 8-foot pipe, which occurred five or six years ago, reduced the risk of flooding along Mix Run, he said.

"We have in fact informed FEMA, in a letter sent on May 2, that our Mix Run storm sewer project and the Merrill Parkway project (the creation of the Merrill Parkway) have reduced the flooding potential from Mix Run and the Susquehanna River," Fairchild said. "Apparently, FEMA was not aware of these changes and we await its response to our letter. Most likely, we will need to provide documentation (construction plans, elevations, etc.) of these projects to FEMA in order to hopefully have the 100 year flood zones reduced in size."

The public can view the preliminary flood insurance rate map for Towanda Borough, and an accompanying "flood insurance study," at the borough office at 724 Main St., the Towanda Public Library at 104 Main St., the J. Andrew Morrow School building at 101 N. Fourth St., or online at https://www.rampp-team.com/pa.htm.

FEMA is going through a process where the public can submit "comments" or "objections" to the preliminary flood insurance rate map.

A recent press release from Towanda Borough provided the following information about filing "comments" or "objections":

"The public is entitled to make both 'comments' and 'objections' as to the preliminary map and study.

"A 'comment' should not challenge the flood hazard information itself. Those challenges should be presented as 'objections.' A 'comment' should be specific and relate to changes or corrections of a non-technical nature such as matters relating to the accuracy of utilized corporate limits, jurisdictional boundaries and road and stream names.

"All comments should be sent to Christine Worley, USR Corporation, 12420 Milestone Center Drive, Suite 150, Germantown, MD 20876 and need to be submitted on or before June 3, 2012.

"Objections should relate to the accuracy of the flood hazard information such as new or revised base flood elevations, base flood depths, special flood hazard areas, regulatory floodways and assumptions made as part of the methodology. An objection is in the nature of an appeal. All objections must not only identify a map and/or study problem, it must include 'scientific or technical data' in support of the objection.

"All objections should be submitted to William Manville, Emergency Coordinator, 724 Main St., Towanda, PA 18848. Objections must be filed within a ninety (90) day period which will commence with the second newspaper notice by FEMA of the proposed determination. Those notices will run in a daily newspaper of general circulation in Bradford County. As of May 11, 2012, neither of these notices has been published.

"After any comments and objections have been resolved, FEMA will issue a 'Letter of Final Determination' notifying the Borough of Towanda that in six (6) months the maps will become effective," the press release states.

James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or email: [email protected].

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