The identified floodplain area shall be:
A. Any areas of the Township of New Garden classified as special flood
hazard areas (SFHAs) in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and the accompanying
Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), dated September 29, 2017, 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. The above-referenced FIS and FIRMs, and
any subsequent revisions and amendments, are hereby adopted by the
Township of New Garden and declared to be a part of this chapter.
The identified floodplain area shall consist of the following
specific areas:
A. The Floodway Area shall be those areas identified in the FIS and
the FIRM as floodway and which represent the channel of a watercourse
and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge
the base flood without increasing the water surface elevation by more
than one foot at any point. This term shall also include floodway
areas which have been identified in other available studies or sources
of information for those special flood hazard areas where no floodway
has been identified in the FIS and FIRM.
(1) Within any Floodway Area, 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) Within any Floodway Area, no new construction or development shall
be allowed unless the appropriate permit is obtained from the Department
of Environmental Protection's regional office.
B. The AE Area/District shall be those areas identified as an AE Zone
on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA for which base flood
elevations have been provided.
(1) The AE Area adjacent to the floodway shall be those areas identified
as an AE Zone on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA for
which base flood elevations have been provided and a floodway has
been delineated.
(2) The AE Area without floodway shall be those areas identified as an
AE Zone on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA for which
base flood elevations have been provided but no floodway has been
determined.
(a)
No permit shall be granted within any AE Zone without floodway,
and 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
development, together with all other existing and anticipated development,
would not result in an increase in flood levels within the entire
community during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.
(b)
No new construction or development shall be located within the
area measured 50 feet landward from the top-of-bank of any watercourse,
unless the appropriate permit is obtained from the Department of Environmental
Protection's regional office.
C. The A Area/District shall be those areas identified as an A Zone
on the FIRM included in the FIS prepared by FEMA and for which no
base flood elevations have been provided.
(1) For these areas, elevation and floodway information from other federal,
state, or other acceptable sources shall be used when available. Where
other acceptable information is not available, the base flood 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 thorough
technical review by the municipality. In the absence of any of the
above data or documentation, the community may require elevation of
the lowest floor to be at least three feet above the highest adjacent
grade.
D. The AO and AH 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.
The identified floodplain area may be revised or modified by the Board of Supervisors 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. See §
96-23B for situations where FEMA notification is required.
Should a dispute concerning any identified floodplain boundary
arise, an initial determination shall be made by the Township of New
Garden, and any party aggrieved by this decision or determination
may appeal to the Board of Supervisors. 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.