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Water Quality

Floods

Flooding is Vermont's most prominent hazard. Flooding has hit Vermont in the past and that it will again in the future. Within the last several years there have been several localized floods leading to Presidentially-declared disasters that were usually the result of intense summer thunderstorms.

Flooding can be worsened by impervious surfaces, fillin in floodplains, frozen ground, ice and debris jams, and undersized culverts and dams. However, flooding is a natural occurrence along rivers and streams, and people should respect that fact when developing near these waters. It is important for towns and their residents to lessen flood damage by generally refraining from building or filling in floodplains and near stream channels; properly constructing and maintaining culverts, roads and ditches; and requiring private ponds to be constructed to avoid failure.

Anyone in a town participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can buy insurance. Anyone living near a river or stream should seriously consider flood insurance, and even those who are not might want to as well. A significant amount of flood damage in Vermont has occurred outside of recognized flood danger zones. Homeowners’ policies do not cover flood damage.

National Flood Insurance Program

http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/index.jsp - Open in New Window

NOAA Flash Flood Awareness

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/tadd/ - Open in New Window

Flood Outreach Toolkit - Designed to assist efforts on educating and informing communities aout the importance of flood insurance coverage.

http://www.floodsmart.gov - Open in New Window

FEMA Flood Maps - FEMA NFIP flood maps are available from the Map Service Center (MSC).

http://msc.fema.gov - Open in New Window

FEMA Flood Maps for Google Earth- KMZ layer for Google Earth (Windsor, Rutland Counties)

https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/kmz/FEMA_NFHL_v2.4.kmz - Open in New Window

VT River Management Section

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/waterq/rivers/htm/rv_floodhazard.htm - Open in New Window

Northeast River Forecast Center

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/nerfc/ - Open in New Window

USGS River Gauge Network for Real Time Flooding

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/vt/nwis/rt - Open in New Window

For more information about floodplain management, please visit these resources:

TRORC Fact Sheet Series

The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission presents a series of fact sheets to help educate local officials and residents about flood hazards and floodplain management. Click here.

Understanding Flood Insurance Requirements in Vermont

UnderstandingFloodInsReq.pdf - Download File

Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) Options for Lots less than 5 acres or area clearly outside of the flood area:

EasyLOMAOptions.pdf - Download File
Surveying for a LOMA in Zone A - rv_azonesurvey.pdf - Download File
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Floodplain Management

Invasive Species

Organizations

Permitting

Planning

Pollution & Prevention

Wetlands