Flood maps still under appeal
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

If appeals filed by Moorpark leaders against preliminary flood maps are denied, flood insurance costs to individual homeowners could be $500 to $1,000 per year, based on possible flooding risks and elevation, according to Yugal Lall, city engineer.

There have been three appeals so far against the maps created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency about three years ago. The federal agency responded to the latest appeal last week, Lall said, adding he's unable to comment on the new maps until city leaders have reviewed them. City officials and the city engineer are now assessing the changes and then they'll decide whether they will accept or appeal the revisions, he said.

According to the initial Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map created by FEMA, half of Moorpark could be under water if a 100-year storm occurs. Storms capable of generating such floods have a 1 percent chance of occurring each year, FEMA statistics show.

Representatives from FEMA and the Ventura County Watershed Protection District joined city officials in 2005 to discuss this map, which identifies areas that may be covered by a severe flood. Many residents attended that meeting to express concerns about possible flood insurance rate hikes associated with the new designation.

City leaders appealed to reduce the floodway and the 100-year flood area because there was conflicting information, said Lall.

FEMA's studies show that the floodway extends beyond the Arroyo Simi, which the city doesn't agree with, and that flood plains could encroach on one-third of the city in a 100-year flood. The city appealed based on local data they found that conflicts with FEMA's information.

The appeal is still in progress, and FEMA is working with the county to make sure that levee embankments adjacent to the Arroyo Simi are defined and certified, Lall said.

For the time being, property owners aren't affected by any changes because the flood maps created in 1986 are still valid.

Property owners within the 100-year flood zone designated by the proposed map can still build at a certain elevation or buy insurance from FEMA.

Last year, the Peach Hill Wash was removed from the flood zone after the first appeal. "It would have impacted many homes in the Peach Hill area, so all those homes that would have been subject to extra flood insurance will no longer require that," said Lall.

If the appeal is denied, property owners within the other areas highlighted in the new flood map will have to obtain flood insurance from FEMA.

The flood zone issue is also stalling two residential projects planned for construction south of Los Angeles Avenue, between Spring and Tierra Rejada roads.

A 284unit development proposed by Pacific Communities, slated to be built on the parcel between Maureen Lane and Moorpark Road, and the Shea Home project, between Spring Road and Moorpark Avenue, will be delayed until the matter is resolved, said Lall. "They can't do anything until decisions are made," he said.

"These projects may also be redesigned once the flood map is finalized to accommodate changing market conditions," said Deputy City Manager Barry Hogan.