Under the Floodplain Management Services (FPMS) program, USACE’s Buffalo District, in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), recently completed a Special Flood Hazard Evaluation for Silver Creek, located in Chautauqua County, New York.
Buffalo District Hydrology and Hydraulics (H&H) Team and Survey Team, guided by Certified Floodplain Manager Laura Ortiz within the Planning Team, were deployed to complete the detailed analysis.
The 1-2 year process involved detailed surveying, LiDAR mapping, and hydraulic analysis. These tools were used to create flood profiles and flooded area maps for Silver Creek, and a comparison was made to existing flood maps.
The results of this investigation will determine the most accurate floodplain for Silver Creek and Walnut Creek within the Village of Silver Creek, and will be used to determine whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain mapping revisions will be made for the stream systems.
While the report does not provide solutions to flood problems, it does provide a scientific basis for the adoption of land use controls to guide floodplain development, thereby preventing intensification of future flood losses.
“ We hope that these communities can use these FPMS Special Studies and the floodplain mapping as a guidance to assist with impacts of floods and other land use plans ,” said Richard Whipple, Army Corps of Engineers, Plan Formulator.
Buffalo District is poised to complete three more such studies. One located along French Creek in Lorain County, Ohio, is near completion.
Two other projects in New York State are also being studied, said USACE.