Waterlines - News from the Division of Water

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Division of Water
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Winter 2019


Floodplain Management Staff Changes

By Darren Pearson, Division of Water

The Floodplain Management Section has gone through several staff changes this year.

In January, Anita Nance was promoted to Section Manager.

Darren Pearson was promoted to State NFIP Coordinator in July.

We also were able to fill the vacancies in the section. In March, Marianne Hawkins joined the Floodplain Management Section. In June, Wanda Gaines joined the section. Our final addition to our section came in November, when Doug Wagner joined our section.

Marianne has been assigned responsibility for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) communities in the northern region of the state. Although Marianne is new to the Floodplain Management Section, she is not new to the Division. She previously worked with the Water Rights and Use Section of the Division of Water. She received her Bachelors of Science degree from Indiana University and her Masters of Science degree, Administrative Certification, and GIS Certification from IUPUI. Marianne taught 28 years in the Indianapolis Public School District. She enjoys hanging out with her family and traveling the country.

Wanda has been assigned responsibility for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) communities in the southern region of the state. She is a recent graduate of Franklin College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Ecology and Conservation Biology. She previously worked as a contracted consulting utility forester for Indianapolis Power and Light Company. Wanda, recently engaged, is a longtime volunteer at a ferret rescue in Martinsville, IN. She is the proud mother of five ferrets and two dogs.

Doug has been hired to be the new senior planner for the Floodplain Management Section. Doug previously was floodplain administrator and executive director of the Carroll County Area Plan Commission for almost three years. Prior to Carroll County, Doug was the floodplain administrator and building inspector for White County for two years. He has been a Certified Floodplain Manager since 2014. He will be able to use his experiences as a floodplain administrator to develop presentations and educational materials. Doug enjoys doing small remodeling projects, camping, and spending time with the grandkids.

staff

(Doug Wagner, Anita Nance, Darren Pearson, Marianne Hawkins, Wanda Gaines)


Community responsibilities under the NFIP workshop on Feb. 19

By Darren Pearson, Division of Water

The DNR Division of Water will conduct a workshop on Feb. 19 that will focus on community responsibilities under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
 
The workshop will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST in Conference Room B at the Indiana Government Center South, 402 W. Washington St, Indianapolis. There is no fee. Additional information for parking and building access will be provided upon registration.

New community officials are strongly encouraged to attend. Other community officials are encouraged to attend as a refresher. Other individuals involved in floodplain management are also welcome.
 
This workshop is eligible for Continuing Education Credits for Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs). Register by Feb. 15 by contacting Doug Wagner at dwagner1@dnr.IN.gov or 317-232-4178 (direct) or 877-928-3755 (toll free). Seating will be limited to the first 90 registrants.


defined

Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage
 
By Doug Wagner, Division of Water

Floodplain administrators who review building plans and permit applications, as required for communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), must understand what is meant by “substantial improvement and substantial damage.” The Indiana model floodplain ordinance defines the terms as follows:

Substantial damage means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring it to an undamaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

Substantial improvement means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the "start of construction" of the improvement. This term includes structures that have incurred “repetitive loss” or “substantial damage" regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not include improvements of structures to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code requirements.

Floodplain administrators should also keep in mind that some communities have adopted a more restrictive standard than the 50 percent (NFIP requirement used in the Indiana model) for SI/SD determinations. These calculations must be completed with any application for improvements or repairs for properties located in a special flood hazard area. The links provided offer further discussion and guidance on SI/SD.

FEMA P-758 Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Desk Reference

FEMA 213 Answers to questions about Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage


2018 ASDSO National Dam Safety Conference Award Winner

At the Dam Safety 2018 national conference, the Indiana Dam Information Resources and Training (DIRT) Committee received the 2018 ASDSO Midwest Regional Award of Merit. The association gives this award annually to individuals or organizations working in the dam safety field that have made outstanding contributions to dam safety on a regional level. 

The DIRT Committee is a group of public and private volunteers from the Indiana dam safety community that work with ASDSO to host an annual public training and awareness event. This multi-track and multi-speaker statewide event was created to bring dam owners and operators together with members of the professional dam safety community and various supporting professions. 

The 2018 DIRT Committee included: George Crosby, Marco Alvarez-Rengifo and Kenneth Smith from the DNR Division of Water; Chris Ritz from the NRCS; Jennifer Burns from ASDSO; Larry Clough from the Papakeechie Protective Association; Karla Hench from Wildwood Dam Conservancy District; Aaron J. Fricke from Christopher B. Burke Engineering; Drew Flamion from Commonwealth Engineers; Kellen Heavin from Earth Exploration and Breagan Eicher from Lawson Fisher Associates.

There were about 100 participants (a new record) at the DIRT 2018 event. The participants included owners, emergency response officials, practicing engineers and agency officials. Topics presented at the event were: Dams 101 for new owners; a Kelly Barnes Dam failure case study; “the Green Giant” case study of Hidden Valley Lake Dam; life cycle issues of maintaining a dam between inspections; “Dirty Jobs” - geotechnical evaluations; “Go with the flow” 2-D inundation modeling; Lessons from the Oroville incident; Death by Sediment – improving lake longevity; Small event – Big problems and the making of a disaster, Lessons from a regional flood event; and Give a Dam All the Distance You Can, covering low head dam awareness.


CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW CFMS

CFM

By Darren Pearson, Division of Water

Five new Certified Floodplain Managers (CFMs) from Indiana were added to the growing list of floodplain management professionals across the nation. The most recent additions are Wayne Capek (Indianapolis), Thomas Clevidence (Clarksville), and Kenneth Hughes (Laotto), who all took the exam in March. Danielle Randles (Plainfield) and Rachel Sparks (Indianapolis) took the exam in September at the INAFSM conference.
 
This national program for professional certification of floodplain managers was established by the Association of State Floodplain Managers. The program recognizes continuing education and professional development that enhances the knowledge and performance of local, state, federal and private-sector floodplain managers.

Congratulations!


Water

Photo courtesy of INAFSM

2018 INAFSM Conference

By Doug Wagner, Division of Water

The 22nd Indiana Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management (INAFSM) Annual Conference was held Sept. 5-7 at the Old National Event Center in Evansville. The theme was “Rolling on the River.”
 
The Indiana Silver Jackets, Office of Community and Rural Affairs, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LLC, received the Excellence in Floodplain Management Award for the “Flood Response Plan Project.”

The Excellence in Stormwater Management Award went to Richard DeWitt, CISEC, CPMSM, MS4 Coordinator, City of Franklin.
 
The Outstanding Floodplain Project Award went to “The Zone A Floodplain Project” (Project Owner Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water).
 
The Outstanding Stormwater Project Award went to the “Brown Street Permeable Paver Project” (Project Owner City of Lafayette, Consultant Greeley & Hansen.)

Doug Wagner, Executive Director of Carroll County Area Plan, received the Excellent Strides in Floodplain Management Award. The Chair’s Award for Outstanding Service in Support of INAFSM went to Michel Sears, PE, CFM.

The Education and Outreach Award went to The City of Greenwood Nature Center by the Greenwood Stormwater Department.

A Special Recognition Award was presented to Jim Blazek for his many years of service and commitment to INAFSM. The award was noted as the “heart” of INAFSM.

INAFSM also recognized Richard DeWitt, MS4 Coordinator, City of Franklin, as their newest “Lifetime Member.”


18inafsm

2019 INAFSM CONFERENCE

By Doug Wagner, Division of Water

The Indiana Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management will have its 22nd Annual Conference Sept. 4-6 at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne. Mark your calendars and submit your abstract for a presentation before Jan. 31, 2019. For more information about the INAFSM conference and the organization, visit inafsm.net.


Indiana Training Opportunities – 2018

training

(Information provided by FEMA)

Indiana Department of Homeland Security

Please visit the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s training calendar for upcoming courses and trainings.

Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM)

ASFPM has an online training program, and training is added regularly.

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

E0190: ArcGIS for Emergency Managers. May 6-9, Emmitsburg, Md. This course teaches new GIS users how to apply the ArcGIS for Desktop software to support disaster mitigation, response, recovery, and risk management. ArcGIS for Desktop allows users to analyze their data and create geographic knowledge to examine relationships, test predictions, and ultimately make better decisions. Course participants complete numerous hands-on activities that help them learn to develop informative maps as well as to use tools that answer questions based on where things are located and what is known about them. It also develops a variety of skills that can be used to create, edit, manage, and analyze both spatial and tabular data. While this course does not provide hands-on instruction specifically on Hazus-MH, all activities use Hazus-MH inventory and analysis outputs.
 
E0273: Managing Floodplain Development through the NFIP. March 18-21, June 17-20, and Aug. 26-29, Emmitsburg, Md. This course provides an organized training opportunity for local officials responsible for administering their local floodplain management ordinance. The course will focus on the National Flood Insurance Program and concepts of floodplain management, maps and studies, ordinance administration, and the relationship between floodplain management and flood insurance.

E0278: NFIP/Community Rating System. March 25-28 and June 24-27, Emmitsburg, Md. This course covers the Community Rating System (CRS), a nationwide initiative of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It describes activities eligible for credit under the 2013 CRS Coordinator’s Manual, how a community applies, and how a community modifies an application to improve its classification.

E0282: Advanced Floodplain Management Concepts II. July 15-18, Emmitsburg, Md. This advanced floodplain management course is a dynamic and interactive instruction that covers the following four topics in detail: Placement of Manufactured Homes and Recreational Vehicles in the Floodplain, National Flood Insurance Program Flood Insurance Principles for the Floodplain Manager, Higher Standards in Floodplain Management, and Hydrology and Hydraulics for the Floodplain Manager. Each topic is designed to be discussed and reviewed in greater detail than the basic course. Developed and real-life scenarios will be examined and activities will be conducted in each section to make sure participants not only understand the rules and regulations but also why they are in place and how to apply them in the particular topic areas. This course is activity-rich, and participants can expect to be engaged throughout.

E0284: Advanced Floodplain Management Concepts III. Feb. 4-7, Emmitsburg, Md. This advanced floodplain management course is a dynamic and interactive instruction that covers the following five topics in detail: Floodway Standards, Disconnects between National Flood Insurance Program Regulations and Insurance, Common Noncompliance Issues, Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), and Substantial Improvement/ Substantial Damage. Each topic is designed to be discussed and reviewed in greater detail than the basic course. Developed and real-life scenarios will be examined and activities will be conducted in each section to make sure participants not only understand the rules and regulations but also why they are in place and how to apply them in the particular topic areas. This course is activity-rich, and participants can expect to be engaged throughout.

EMI also offers many more courses in Emmitsburg, around the country and through webinar training opportunities online. For additional information on EMI classes and webinars, please visit EMI’s training calendar website and its course catalog.

Other Trainings and Conferences

Association of State Floodplain Managers. May 19-24, Cleveland, OH. The ASFPM annual conferences are recognized as the most important floodplain conference in the United States year after year. With more than 100 speakers and more than 1,200 participants, they are the national conferences all community, state and federal floodplain managers plan to attend. Please visit the ASFPM’s conference website for more information.


THANK YOU

Thanks to those contributing to this issue: George Bowman, Ken Smith, Doug Wagner, Ryan Mueller, Marty Benson, Don Kaczorowski, Anita Nance, and Ed Reynolds.

Editor – Darren Pearson

The work that provides the basis for this newsletter was supported by funding under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in the publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the federal government.

Waterlines is produced biannually as a public service by the DNR Division of Water.

Waterlines is available on the web at dnr.IN.gov/water.


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