WESTFIELD – The City Council voted last night to adopt the new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood plain map and to amend the city’s flood ordinance to reflect changes in the new map.
The flood-zone ordinance (Article III, Section 3-160) needed to be updated to bring the city into compliance with the new FEMA flood maps as delineated by the Army Corps of Engineers. The existing ordinance is based upon the FEMA maps released more than four decades ago.
The city has spent more than $2 million improving the levee along the Westfield River and is currently upgrading a pump station off Meadow Street to remove flood water from that neighborhood.
The city is also currently making improvements at Mainline Drive which frequently floods when water from Little River backs up through the street drainage systems during high water flow.
The city took those action to improve the levee system because FEMA informed the city that the downtown area would be listed as unprotected flood plain and that property owners would have to purchase commercial flood insurance which is prohibitively expense.
The Westfield River levee improvement project was substantially completed last year and was required by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to bring the city’s levee system into compliance with standards issued through the federal Corps of Army Engineers in order for the city to qualify for FEMA certification.
FEMA establishes flood zone maps under which residents and businesses can apply for low-cost federal flood insurance, as opposed to costly commercial insurance, if their property is in a flood zone and is protected by FEMA-certified flood control structures.
The majority of that work to bolster the city’s flood protection was done along the Westfield River as it passes through the downtown area. The city made improvements from Stratfield Avenue, at the west end of the levee, to the intersection of Meadow and Williams Riding Way at the east end of the levee.
The levee improvements were initiated by the Flood Control Commission which requested the City Council to approve a $2 million bond, with just under $1 million being spent to bring the levee into compliance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standards.
The council’s vote last night ensures meeting the FEMA deadline, and ensures that residents will be able to participate in the low-cost federal flood insurance program.
