FACT SHEET:
Travis County Flood Map Project

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is remapping the floodplains of Travis County to determine the risks associated with heavy rains in the AustinHill Country region. The Travis County project is part of the agency's nationwide effort to redraw the maps that predict where floods are likely to occur. Local governments rely on the maps to manage development that may affect - and be affected by - flooding. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) uses the maps for flood insurance purposes.

Q: Why is FEMA remapping floodplains in Travis County?
A: FEMA ranks Travis County among the top 10 percent of counties in the nation at risk of flood damages. The ranking is based on the number of people at risk of flooding, the current population and rate of population growth, the number of homes repeatedly damaged by floods, and the number of homes with flood-insurance policies. As population grows along the Colorado River, its tributaries and Highland Lakes, more people are exposed to the risks of flooding. In addition, new information shows that the risk of flooding has changed since the most recent floodplain maps were drawn.

Q: How long will the remapping project take?
A: FEMA expects to have preliminary Travis County flood insurance maps in 2005.

Q: Is there local support for the remapping project?
A: There is strong local commitment of technical and financial resources for the project. The City of Austin, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and the Texas Natural Resources Information System, a division of the Texas Water Development Board, are technical partners on the project. In addition, Travis County and 12 communities have agreed to cooperate with FEMA on the map project.

Q: Why is there local support for the remapping project?
A: Local officials need more accurate maps to manage floodplains effectively and to help protect lives and property. Most of the current FEMA maps are based on data gathered between eight and 25 years ago. FEMA will use dozens of flood studies conducted in Travis County over the years. One of the largest, issued last year by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is the first re-examination of flood flows along the Colorado River since the late 1970s.

Q: What does the Corps of Engineers study show about flood flows?
A: The report indicates that a 100-year flood on Lake Travis would reach a level six feet higher than previously thought - 722 feet above mean sea level (msl) instead of 716 ft. msl. If FEMA uses the Corps data for remapping, the flood hazard boundary zone along Lake Travis would include about 700 more structures.

Q: Weren't the Highland Lakes and dams built to control floods?
A: Only Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis are designed for flood control. They were built to reduce the force of floods downstream and to store water. Lake Travis can store as much as 260 billion gallons of floodwaters. Through floodgate operations, the floodwaters are released in a controlled manner to help prevent inundation of downstream regions. The other five dams and Highland Lakes were built primarily for hydroelectricity and water supply. They reduce but do not eliminate the threat of heavy flooding.

Q: How will the new maps affect property owners?
A: The effect on property owners will depend on the location of the property. The FEMA study likely will result in new 100-year floodplain boundaries that include some properties currently outside of the floodplain, and vice versa. If the updated FEMA maps raise the 100-year flood* elevations and increase the mapped floodplains, there may be flood insurance rate benefits to owners of property in the newly designated floodplain if they obtain flood insurance prior to the change. Visit the FEMA Web site for more information: www.fema.gov/nfip/avgcost.shtm.

Q: What opportunities are there for public involvement in the remapping project? A: FEMA is developing a public outreach and information program that will include periodic informational meetings, newsletters, Web pages and public meetings. Residents will be able to comment and respond to proposed new flood-hazard boundaries.

After the study, FEMA will issue preliminary maps for a 90-day public review and comment. A property owner can contest any changes during the 90-day review period by providing technical backup or studies. After FEMA addresses the comments and prints final maps, Travis County and incorporated communities will have six months to pass ordinances adopting them. They must adopt the new maps by ordinance to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Questions? Call the project hotline toll-free, 1-877-425-3389. You may also contact project consultants Mike Moya or Lynn Lovell at Halff Associates, Inc., (817) 847-1422, or by e-mail at mmoya@halff.com or llovell@halff.com. Another source of information is the project Web site, www.halff-femastudy.com.

Contact the FEMA Region VI office at (940) 898-5127 or the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) at (281) 829-6880. Information about the NFIP also is available at www.fema.gov.

* The term 100-year flood is misleading. It is not the flood that will occur once every 100 years. Rather, it is the flood elevation that has a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded each year. Thus, the 100-year flood could occur more than once in a relatively short period. Floods of this magnitude have occurred on all the Highland Lakes except Lake Travis.