A. 
The identified floodplain area shall be:
(1) 
Any areas of the Township of Bridgewater, classified as special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and the accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) dated April 2, 2013, and issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or the most recent revision thereof, including all digital data developed as part of the Flood Insurance Study; and
(2) 
Any community-identified flood hazard areas.
B. 
The above-referenced FIS and FIRMs, and any subsequent revisions and amendments are hereby adopted by the Township of Bridgewater and declared to be a part of this chapter.
The identified floodplain area shall consist of the following specific areas/districts:
A. 
A Area/District.
(1) 
The A Area/District shall be those areas identified as Zone A on the FIRM included in the FIS 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.
(2) 
In lieu of the above, the municipality 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 through technical review by the municipality.
B. 
The Shallow Flooding Area/District shall be those areas identified as Zones AO and AH on the FIRM and in the FIS. These areas are subject to inundation by one-percent-annual-chance shallow flooding where average depths are between one and three feet. In Zones AO and AH, drainage paths shall be established to guide floodwaters around and away from structures on slopes.
C. 
Community-identified flood hazard areas shall be those areas where the Township of Bridgewater has identified local flood hazard or ponding areas, as delineated and adopted on a Local Flood Hazard Map using best available topographic data and locally derived information such as flood of record, historic high-water marks, soils or approximate study methodologies.
The identified floodplain area may be revised or modified by the Board where studies or information provided by a qualified agency or person documents the need for such revision. However, prior to any such change to the special flood hazard area, 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 to the special flood hazard area by submitting technical or scientific data.
Should a dispute concerning any identified floodplain boundary arise, an initial determination shall be made by the Township of Bridgewater Planning Commission or Board, and any party aggrieved by this decision or determination may appeal to the Board. 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.