Ebner Coulee floodplain study could benefit La Crosse property owners

June 16--A project getting underway could ease flood insurance burdens for property owners on La Crosse's South Side.

The La Crosse Floodplain Advisory Committee last week chose St. Paul-based Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. to study the accuracy of the Ebner Coulee Flood Insurance Rate Map. City leaders will weigh the results in deciding whether updating the map would be worth $250,000 that process could cost.

At issue is whether the current map that insurers use when setting flood insurance premiums accurately depicts the path of water flowing off Grandad Bluff during a 100-year flood event. With newer technology than was used to make the current map, an early modeling by city engineers shows what could be significant changes.

"Given the recent proposed changes to federal insurance premiums, this study could be a significant impact to the value of homes in this downstream area," city documents explaining the project to potential bidders says.

The map reflects which properties are in the flood plain and how deeply, which affects the cost of the mandatory insurance. Changes could save or cost property owners hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Preliminary results are expected by September.

If the project moves on to the second step, SEH Inc. would determine what changes are needed and work with the city in requesting changes from federal and state agencies. The process of making the revision request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency could cost the city between$150,000 to $250,000, Assistant City Engineer Bernard Genz said.

The Floodplain Advisory Committee in April dispatched the request for proposals from experts in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling services to determine the feasibility of making the request. The committee chose SEH at a cost of $19,900.

The study will take into account a wider array of data over a larger area. A change in what's mapped could mean flood insurance would no longer be mandatory for some properties.

"We understand the importance of using the best available data and methodologies to ensure the level of flood risk depicted on FEMA FIRMs is commensurate with the actual risk," Brad Wozniak, SEH project engineer wrote in his firm's proposal to the city. "This is important from a public safety standpoint to ensure the areas with high flood risk are properly identified. Accurate flood maps are also needed to ensure undue burdens are not placed on residents who are required to purchase mandatory flood insurance when not necessary, or who are paying higher flood insurance rates based on incorrect mapping."

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