The identified floodplain area shall consist of the following
specific areas:
A. The Floodway Area/District shall be those areas identified as floodway
on the FIRM as well as those floodway areas which have been identified
in other available studies or sources of information for those special
floodplain areas where no floodway has been identified in the Flood
Insurance Study. The floodway represents the channel of a watercourse
and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge
the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation
by more than one foot at any point.
(1) Within the Floodway Area/District, no encroachments, including fill,
new construction, substantial improvements, or other development,
shall be permitted unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic
and hydraulic analysis performed in accordance with standard engineering
practice that the proposed encroachment would not result in any increase
in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of the
base flood discharge.
(2) No new construction or development shall be allowed, unless a permit
is obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's
Regional Office.
B. The AE Area/District Without Floodway shall be those areas identified
as an AE Zone on the FIRM included in the Flood Insurance Study prepared
by FEMA and for which base flood elevations have been provided in
the Flood Insurance Study but no floodway has been delineated.
(1) In an AE Area/District Without Floodway, no new development shall
be permitted unless it can be demonstrated that the cumulative effect
of all past and projected development will not increase the base flood
elevation by more than one foot.
(2) No permit shall be granted for any construction, development, use,
or activity within any AE Area/District Without Floodway unless it
is demonstrated that the cumulative effect of the proposed development
would not, together with all existing and anticipated development,
increase the base flood elevation more than one foot at any point.
C. The A Area/District shall be those areas identified as an A Zone
on the FIRM included in the Flood Insurance Study prepared by FEMA
and for which no one-percent-annual-chance flood elevations have been
provided. For these areas, elevation and floodway information from
other Federal, State, or other acceptable source shall be used when
available. Where other acceptable information is not available, the
elevation shall be determined by using the elevation of a point on
the boundary of the identified floodplain area which is nearest the
construction site. In lieu of the above, Susquehanna Township may
require the applicant to determine the elevation with hydrologic and
hydraulic engineering techniques. Hydrologic and hydraulic analyses
shall be undertaken only by professional engineers or others of demonstrated
qualifications, who shall certify that the technical methods used
correctly reflect currently accepted technical concepts. Studies,
analyses, computations, etc., shall be submitted in sufficient detail
to allow a thorough technical review by Susquehanna Township.
The identified floodplain area may be revised or modified by
the Susquehanna Township Board of Commissioners where studies or information
provided by a qualified agency or person documents the need for such
revision. However, prior to any such change, approval must be obtained
from FEMA. Additionally, as soon as practicable, but not later than
six months after the date such information becomes available, a community
shall notify FEMA of the changes by submitting technical or scientific
data.
Should a dispute concerning any identified floodplain boundary
arise, an initial determination shall be made by the Susquehanna Township
Planning Commission, and any party aggrieved by this decision or determination
may appeal to the Susquehanna Township Board of Commissioners. The
burden of proof shall be on the Appellant.
Prior to development occurring in areas where annexation or
other corporate boundary changes are proposed or have occurred, the
community shall review flood hazard data affecting the lands subject
to boundary changes. The community shall adopt and enforce floodplain
regulations in areas subject to annexation or corporate boundary changes
which meet or exceed those in 44 CFR 60.3.