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October Passumpsic, Otter Creek and Lake Champlain Flood Mapping Discovery Meetings - FEMA

FEMA has invited municipal officials to discuss upcoming flood map updates in the Passumpsic, Otter Creek and direct-to-Lake Champlain Watersheds. 

The Discovery Meetings provide an update on the process ahead and how communities can identify places that need more attention.

Passumpsic Watershed.

  • Monday, October 28, 2019 at 1:00 PM, Welcome Center Room, Pomerleau Building, 51 Depot Square, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819. Parking is available across the street near Anthony’s Diner. Signs may indicate that the lot is permit-only, but special permission has been obtained for free public parking during this meeting.

Lake Champlain Direct Watersheds 

Two Discovery Meetings are scheduled for the Lake Champlain Watershed. Both meetings have identical content; you may attend either of them. Additionally, if your community lies in both the Otter and the Lake Champlain HUC8 Watersheds, you will also receive an invitation to Discovery Meetings for the Otter Watershed. There is no need to attend separate meetings for both watersheds.

  • Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 9:00 AM, Loraine B. Good Room, Burlington City Arts Building,135 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401. Enter the building through the side entrance and take the elevator or stairs to the second floor. Parking is available in garages on Bank Street and College Street, both of which are free for the first two hours.
     
  • Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 1:00 PM, Jessica Swift Meeting Room, Ilsley Public Library, 75Main Street, Middlebury, VT 05753. Free parking is available behind the library.

Otter Creek Watershed 

 Two Discovery Meetings are scheduled for the Otter Creek Watershed. Both meetings have identical content; you may attend either of them. Additionally, if your community lies in both the Otter and the Lake Champlain HUC8 Watersheds, you will also receive an invitation to Discovery Meetings for the Lake Champlain Watershed. There is no need to attend separate meetings for both watersheds.

  • Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 1:00 PM, Jessica Swift Meeting Room, Ilsley Public Library, 75 Main Street, Middlebury, VT 05753. Free parking is available behind the library.
     
  • Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 10:00 AM, Nella Grimm Fox Room, Rutland Free Library, 10Court Street, Rutland, VT 05701. Street parking is available near the library. There is a mix of free and metered parking spaces ($0.25 per hour).

Please RSVP to Scott Olson, the USGS Project Manager, by e-mail (solson@usgs.gov) or by calling (603) 226-7815.

The work underway will update the Flood Insurance Rate Maps that inform municipal flood resilience planning and regulation.   Participation by knowledgeable community officials is particularly important. 
 

Watershed maps for the Study Areas: 

 

From the notice regarding the Otter Creek Watershed: 

September 30, 2019
Chairperson, Selectboard
 
Community No.:
Dear
 
I am writing about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) upcoming Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) Discovery Meeting for the Otter Watershed in Vermont. This Discovery Meeting is being coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with FEMA. The Otter Watershed is the 8-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC8) 04150402. Rivers in the watershed that could be potentially discussed include major rivers such as Otter Creek and Clarendon, Cold, Leicester, Lemon Fair, Little Lemon Fair, Middle Branch Middlebury, Middlebury, Mill, Neshobe, New Haven, North Branch Cold, North Branch Middlebury, North Branch Neshobe, and South Branch Middlebury Rivers, as well as other smaller rivers and tributaries in the watershed. A watershed map is available for download at the following website:
 
 
Risk MAP is a FEMA program that helps communities identify, assess, and reduce their flood risk. By combining quality engineering with updated flood hazard data, FEMA provides accurate and easy-to-use information to enhance local mitigation plans, improve community outreach, and increase local awareness to flood hazards.
 
The Discovery process commences at the beginning of a Risk MAP project and assists in identifying the scope of the watershed study. The Discovery Meeting is part of the Discovery process, and the information exchanged between FEMA and communities within the Otter Watershed during Discovery will improve our understanding of the watershed’s flood hazard mapping and mitigation planning. During Discovery, FEMA gathers information about local flood risk and flood hazards and reviews mitigation plans to understand local mitigation capabilities, hazard risk assessments, and current or future mitigation activities.
 
Two Discovery Meetings are scheduled for the Otter Watershed. Both meetings have identical content; you may attend either of them. Additionally, if your community lies in both the Otter and the Lake Champlain HUC8 Watersheds, you will also receive an invitation to Discovery Meetings for the Lake Champlain Watershed. There is no need to attend separate meetings for both watersheds.
 
 Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 1:00 PM, Jessica Swift Meeting Room, Ilsley Public Library, 75 Main Street, Middlebury, VT 05753. Free parking is available behind the library.
 
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 10:00 AM, Nella Grimm Fox Room, Rutland Free Library, 10Court Street, Rutland, VT 05701. Street parking is available near the library. There is a mix offree and metered parking spaces ($0.25 per hour).
 
Please RSVP to Scott Olson, the USGS Project Manager for the OtterWatershed, by e-mail (solson@usgs.gov) or by calling (603) 226-7815.
 
At the Discovery Meeting, we will review the flood risk data we have gathered to date in a presentation. We will also discuss your community’s flooding history, flood risk concerns and mitigation. Any data or information that you can provide will aid in this discussion.
 
In addition to inviting community leaders, emergency managers, GIS specialists, and local planners to the Discovery Meeting, FEMA will invite other stakeholders with a vested interest in the Otter Watershed’s resources, floodplains, and flood risk. This may include representatives from State, Federal, regional, and local agencies and associations. Together, we will discuss the study that will be conducted in the Otter Watershed, any information you have to provide, and the importance of mitigation planning and community outreach.
 
We encourage you and/or any other relevant floodplain management staff to attend this important meeting. The partnership and exchange of data between FEMA and your community will be vital to our success in identifying flood risks and needs that may exist. If there are any data related to your community’s flood risk that you have not yet provided to us, but that you would like to have taken into consideration when reviewing your flood risk, please bring it to the meeting or send it to the following address:
 
Scott Olson
U.S. Geological Survey
331 Commerce Way
Pembroke, NH 03275
 
Additionally, we have an online questionnaire regarding data related to the Discovery Meeting. Please complete the questionnaire at the following website:
 
 
If you have any questions regarding the Discovery process, the scheduled Discovery Meeting or the data requested, please contact Scott Olson, Project Manager, by e-mail (solson@usgs.gov) or by calling (603) 226-7815. I am also available to answer any questions at (617) 956-7576 or kerry.bogdan@fema.dhs.gov.
 
Sincerely,
 
Kerry Bogdan
Risk Analysis Branch Chief
Mitigation Division
FEMA Region I
 
For more information - contact your VT DEC Regional Floodplain Manager:
 
 

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