The identified floodplain area shall be any areas of the Township of Penn, classified as special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and the accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) dated March 17, 2011, 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 Penn and declared to be a part of this chapter.
The identified floodplain area shall consist of the following specific areas:
A. 
The FW (Floodway) Area shall be the areas identified as "Floodway" in the AE Zone in the Flood Insurance Study prepared by the FEMA. The term shall also include floodway areas which have been identified in other available studies or sources of information for those floodplain areas where no floodway has been identified in the Flood Insurance Study.
B. 
The FF (Flood-Fringe) Area shall be the remaining portions of the one-hundred-year floodplain in those areas identified as an AE Zone in the Flood Insurance Study, where a floodway has been delineated. The basis for the outermost boundary of this area shall be the one-hundred-year-flood elevations, as shown in the flood profiles contained in the Flood Insurance Study.
C. 
The FE (Special Floodplain) Area shall be the areas identified as Zone AE in the Flood Insurance Study, where one-hundred-year-flood elevations have been provided but no floodway has been delineated.
D. 
FA (General Floodplain) Area.
(1) 
The FA (General Floodplain) Area shall be the areas identified as Zone A in the Flood Insurance Study for which no one-hundred-year-flood elevations have been provided. When available, information from other federal, state and other acceptable sources shall be used to determine the one-hundred-year elevation, as well as a floodway area, if possible. When no other information is available, the one-hundred-year elevation shall be determined by using a point on the boundary of the identified floodplain area which is nearest the construction site in question.
(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 Township of Penn.
The identified floodplain area may be revised or modified by the 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 the FEMA. Additionally, as soon as practicable, but not later than six months after the date such information becomes available, a community shall notify the FEMA of the changes by submitting technical or scientific data.
[Amended 1-18-2017 by Ord. No. 914]
Should a dispute concerning any identified floodplain boundary arise, an initial determination shall be made by the Township of Penn Planning Commission, and any party aggrieved by this decision may appeal to the Board of Commissioners. The burden of proof shall be on the appellant.