Levee System Information for Stakeholders

Levee System Construction and Restoration Projects

Read general information about levee systems on the Levee System Introduction page.

FEMA Responsibilities

As administrator of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for assessing flood hazards and related risks and providing appropriate flood hazard and risk information to communities nationwide. This information is provided to communities in the form of maps, called Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). FEMA is updating and modernizing the FIRMs nationwide through its Flood Map Modernization (Map Mod) effort.

Levee systems have been constructed in over one-fourth the counties that will receive modernized maps—Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs)—as part of Map Mod. Therefore, accurately identifying the flood risk in levee-impacted areas is an important element of Map Mod.

FEMA is not responsible for building, maintaining, operating, or certifying levee systems. FEMA does, however, develop and enforce the regulatory and procedural requirements that are used to determine whether a completed levee system should be credited with providing 1-percent-annual-chance flood protection on a FIRM or DFIRM. These requirements are documented in Section 65.10 of the NFIP regulations, in Appendix H of Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners, and in Procedure Memorandums issued to clarify the regulatory and procedural requirements for FEMA contractors and mapping partners. FEMA relies on Federal, State, and local agencies and private levee owners to provide them with the required data and documentation on levee systems so that the hazards and risks in levee-impacted areas may be presented accurately on the maps and related products.

FEMA also develops and enforces the regulatory and procedural requirements for levee systems that are being constructed for the first time or that are being restored to provide 1-percent-annual-chance flood protection. These requirements are presented in Section 61.12 and Section 65.14 of the NFIP regulations and in the previously referenced Appendix H and Procedure Memorandums. As with completed levee systems, FEMA relies on Federal, State, and local agencies to provide data and documentation regarding the new and restored levee systems.

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Community, State, and Federal Responsibilities

Communities, State agencies, and Federal agencies may construct new levee systems to address flood hazards and reduce flood risks to structures and people in a particular community or particular area of a state. Likewise, these communities and agencies may undertake a project to restore the flood protection capability of a levee system that had previously been credited with providing a 1-percent-annual-chance level of flood protection to that level of protection, thereby reducing the flood risk to the people and structures located in levee-impacted areas.

When communities, State agencies, and Federal agencies undertake such projects to provide a 1-percent-annual-chance level of flood protection, they likely will want to submit the appropriate data and documentation to FEMA, so that FEMA may present updated, accurate flood hazard and risk information on the maps and related documents. The required data and documentation will vary, depending on the type of determination that the community would like FEMA to make regarding the project and the flood insurance risk zone designation that the community would like FEMA to include on the effective FIRM or DFIRM for that community.

Before deciding on these options, however, it is important for communities to know the requirements, responsibilities, and impacts that these options will have on community residents and business owners.

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Adequate Progress (Zone A99) Requirements

When a levee system construction or restoration project involves the use of Federal funds and has reached certain completion milestones, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a community or other responsible community official may submit certain data and documentation and request, in writing, that FEMA make an "adequate progress" determination. If the data and documentation that are submitted with the request support such a determination, FEMA will issue a written adequate progress determination and will change the FIRM or DFIRM in the levee-impacted area to show it as Zone A99.

Additional information on data, documentation, and mapping requirements is provided in the Useful Resources below and on the Adequate Progress (Zone A99) Requirements page.

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Flood Protection Restoration (Zone AR) Requirements

If a community is engaged in the process of restoring a flood protection system that was originally constructed using Federal funds, credited with providing 1-percent-annual-chance flood protection on the effective FIRM or DFIRM, and decertified by a Federal agency responsible for flood protection design or construction, the CEO of a community or other responsible community official may submit certain data and documentation and request, in writing, that FEMA make a "flood protection restoration" determination. If the data and documentation that are submitted with the request support such a determination, FEMA will issue a written flood protection restoration determination and will change the FIRM or DFIRM in the levee-impacted area to show it as Zone AR.

Additional information on data, documentation, and mapping requirements is provided in the Useful Resources below and on the Flood Protection Restoration (Zone AR) Requirements page.

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Useful Resources

The levee resources listed below provide more information on regulatory requirements, procedural requirements, and benefits of adequate progress and flood protection restoration determinations. These and other FEMA, NFIP, and Map Mod resources are located in the FEMA Library:

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For More Information

For more information or additional assistance:

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Return to the Levee System Introduction page.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 07-Oct-2008 11:47:06 EDT

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