National Flood Barrier Testing & Certification Program

The Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM) in collaboration with FM Approvals and the US Army Corps of Engineers National Nonstructural/Flood Proofing Committee (NFPC) have implemented a National program of testing and certifying flood barrier products used for flood proofing and flood fighting.  This program currently tests flood products in four categories, Temporary Flood Barriers, Closure Devices, Backwater Valves, and Flood Mitigation Pumps.

Use these links to view lists of tested and certified products:

  Temporary Barriers
  Closure Devices
  Backwater Valves
  Mitigation Pumps

The purpose of this program is to provide an unbiased process of evaluating products in terms of resistance to water forces, material properties, and consistency of product manufacturing. This will be accomplished by testing the product against water related forces in a laboratory setting, testing the product against material forces in a laboratory setting, and periodic inspection of the product manufacturing process for consistency of product relative to the particular product that received the original water and material testing. Upon products meeting the consistency of manufacturing criteria and meeting the established standards for the material and water testing, the certification part of the program becomes available to the product. Since the testing part of the program is conducted in a laboratory setting, not all forces and impacts to which the product could be subjected will be tested.

The testing protocol for each category of product will define the limits of the product testing based on the limits of the laboratory setting. Any subsequent product certification will reflect the testing limits of the laboratory setting. Certification will also reflect, in terms of flood proofing, the suitability of the product, the performance of the product based on the product deployment literature, the durability and reliability of the product, and the consistency of the product. All products will be examined and evaluated on a model by model, type by type, plant by plant, and manufacturer by manufacturer basis.

Testing Levels There are three certification levels possible (silver, gold and platinum) that are described in more detail at this link. The levels represent the height (one, two and three feet respectively) of hydrostatic testing attained. described in more detail here.
		Silver:	Consists of water (at least one (1) foot hydrostatic test) and material testing, plant and product inspection, and follow-up verification.
		Gold:	Consists of water (at least two (2) foot hydrostatic test) and material testing, plant and product inspection, and follow-up verification.
		Platinum:	Consists of water (at least three (3) foot hydrostatic test) and material testing, plant and product inspection, and follow-up verification.

 
This program is funded 100 % by vendors/manufacturers of products. The five (5) step process consists of application, proposal issue and manufacturer authorization, testing and first audit (which includes water related testing, materials testing, plant and product inspection), follow-up services, and certification.

Webinar Recording

Below is a video of a webinar from December 2014 explaining the National Flood Barrier Testing and Certification program, hosted by ASFPM, FM Approvals and US Army Corps of Engineers. View or download slides of this webinar from this link [.pdf]