The Floodplain Conservation District shall be any areas of Borough of Narberth classified as special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and the accompanying Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) dated March 2, 2016, 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 Floodplain Conservation District shall also include areas with soils listed in §
292-3A(2), along with any community identified flood hazard areas. The above-referenced FIS and FIRMs, and any subsequent revisions and amendments, are hereby adopted by the Borough of Narberth and declared to be a part of this chapter.
The Floodplain Conservation District shall consist of the following
specific areas/districts:
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 FIS.
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. 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, computation, etc., shall be submitted in sufficient detail
to allow a thorough technical review by the municipality.
B. The A Area/District shall be the areas identified as an A Zone 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 Floodplain Conservation District
which is nearest the construction site. 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.
C. 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.
D. Identified Flood Hazard Areas shall be those areas where Borough
of Narberth 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.
E. In any Floodplain Conservation District, no new construction or development
shall be located within the area measured 50 feet landward from the
top-of-bank of any watercourse, unless a variance has first been obtained
from Borough of Narberth, and a permit has been obtained from the
Department of Environmental Protection.
The Floodplain Conservation District may be revised or modified
by Borough Council 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 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 floodplain administrator
and any party aggrieved by this decision or determination may appeal
to Borough Council. 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.