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Flood Map Development: Data Acquisition City of Santa Barbara, CA

City of Santa Barbara Information BakerAECOM has

received two (2) foot contours, the Laguna Drainage System Design Study and the Sycamore Drainage Study.

BakerAECOM has not received any GIS data outside of the preliminary DFIRM base map and database.

Any available updated digital GIS data is needed.

The submission deadline for additional or newer engineering data is 07/30/2010.

There is one recent LOMR in the City of Santa Barbara study area.

There are no identified levees in the City of Santa Barbara study area.

Always include metadata when available

Introduction Flood risks change over time based on new development in a watershed, weather changes, and other factors. To make the most accurate flood map possible, we need the most current data available. This is your flood map, and we want to provide the tools that you will need to identify and assess your community’s risks and evaluate the benefits of taking steps to reduce your community’s vulnerability.

A Physical Map Revision (PMR) involves revising and republishing the portions of the effective NFIP map identified during Scoping. As we proceed through the flood map project, we will keep you informed through similar project fact sheets and by setting up community meetings. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact the study coordinators listed on the second page.

Data Acquisition Overview At this stage in the flood map project your community is in the Data Acquisition phase. If you have additional or newer data than those outlined in this status update, we ask that you provide it to us to incorporate into the revised Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM).

Topographic Data Sources • 1995 topography, in 2000' x 3000'

grids, 2’ contours and 5’ intervals in steeper areas, as AutoCAD .dwg files from Santa Barbara County Flood Control

Base Map Data Sources • Santa Barbara County preliminary

DFIRM • Local Orthophoto Maps (Roads,

Streams, Political Boundaries) • Other (State Base Map)

Community-Developed Studies

• Master plan for Sycamore Creek

• Stormwater study for the Laguna Drainage system

Miscellaneous Data

• Historical Floods • High Water Marks • Geographic Information System

(GIS) Support Layers (Soils, Land Use, Etc.)

• LOMR Incorporation Requests or Preferences

• Information on Levees

GIS Data Previously, during the Project Scoping phase, you or another community official may have been contacted regarding GIS or engineering data that are applicable to the flood map project. GIS data includes topographic data such as LIDAR or local topography; base map data such as orthophotos, political boundaries, and road coverages; soils and land-use coverages; and any metadata associated with those coverages and data. Having the latest GIS data for use in preparing the updated FIS and DFIRM is important for many reasons.

Land use and soils information are important for new hydrologic analysis, and updated topographic data are crucial to mapping floodplain boundaries correctly. Updated topographic data are also often used to establish cross-sections for any new hydraulic analysis; although, we can use surveying data instead. Available base map data determines the overall look of the map. If updated political boundaries,

Flood Map Project Process

City of Santa

Barbara

Community Coordination

& Needs Assessment

Project Scoping

Data Acquisition

and Development:

thru December 2010

PMR Production

February 2011

Preliminary PMR

April 2011

Post Preliminary Processing Map

Adoption & Sustainability

1 Month 1-3 Months 1-8 Months 12-15 Months 12-24 Months Ongoing 1-3 Months

Letter of Final Determination Issued

PMR 50% Complete

PMR Effective

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Flood Map Development: Data Acquisition City of Santa Barbara, CA

Who should I contact if I have data? If your community has any of the requested data, or if you have other data that might be relevant to the FIS, you should contact the BakerAECOM representative below.

If you would like to set up a meeting to discuss data acquisition or the project in general, please contact BakerAECOM.

BakerAECOM:

Jeanne Finger

Project Manager

(512) 435-5367 X4954

jeanne.finger@aecom.com

FEMA:

Ed Curtis

Senior Civil Engineer

(510) 627-7207

edward.curtis@dhs.gov

Where Can I Get More Information? FEMA’s Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners is available on FEMA’s Web site at www.fema.gov/plan/ prevent/fhm/dl_cgs.shtm.

FEMA’s new Risk MAP program is described on FEMA’s website at http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/rm_main.shtm

roads, railroads, and airport data exist, we can use a vector-based map; if the data is not available, aerial photos are needed for an orthophoto-based map.

Engineering Data Engineering data include community-developed studies, information on historical floods, and hydraulic or hydrologic analyses on flooding sources that meet FEMA standards (see link in sidebar). If data do not meet FEMA standards, historical flood data and information on water-surface elevations from past floods can contribute to any new analysis that FEMA may perform. In some cases, the new study will contain little new engineering analysis. Instead, FEMA will use results from previous studies with new topographic data or FEMA will transfer the previous floodplain boundaries onto new base maps. Even in those cases, it is important to pass on any available engineering data for potential future use.

Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs) Other important data include any preferences your community may have regarding the incorporation of effective LOMRs into the FIS report and DFIRM. If no LOMRs in your community are controversial, FEMA will review the effective LOMRs and decide whether to supersede, incorporate, or validate each LOMR based on technical data. However, if you feel that certain LOMRs deserve special consideration, please bring them to the attention of FEMA’s contractor, BakerAECOM.

Levees Similarly, you should provide BakerAECOM any information on the condition and certification status of any levees in your community. Any levees in your community that are shown as accredited on the effective flood map will have to be certified for FEMA to continue to accredit them on the new DFIRM.

However, before a levee can accredited on a DFIRM, it must meet certain FEMA criteria.

The levee owner must provide documentation to indicate that the levee meets the criteria. If it does, the map will show the area behind the levee as a moderate-risk zone. If it does not, the map will show the area as a high-risk area.

It is important to know that levees are designed to provide a specific level of protection. They can be overtopped or fail in larger flood events. Levees also decay over time. They require regular maintenance and periodic upgrades to retain their level of protection. When levees do fail, they fail catastrophically. The damage may be more significant than if the levee was not there. For all these reasons, FEMA urges people to understand their flood risk and to purchase flood insurance even if the levee is certified and accredited on the DFIRM.

Scoping Results The results of the scoping process are provided on the enclosed map. Streams are colored based on the level of study they will receive. Upper portions of streams that are covered by 5-ft equivalent contours will be mapped using limited detail study methods. Areas that are covered by 2-ft equivalent contours (that meet FEMA standards) will be mapped using detail study methodologies. All study streams’ (studied by either detailed or limited detail methods) entire floodplains will be mapped using locally-provided contours, which will resolve the current discrepancy between the effective mapping and the terrain.

Next Steps After receiving all available data, BakerAECOM, as FEMA’s mapping contractor, will evaluate and process the data during the Data Development (engineering and mapping) phase of the flood map project.

If you have questions about the status of the mapping project in your community, please contact one of the representatives listed in the blue section on the left.

Unnamed Ponding Area

City of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara County

Sycamore Creek

Coyote Creek

WestmontCreek

Laguna Channel

Rattlesnake Creek

Sycamore CreekUnnamed Tributary 1

Sycamore Creek

Sycamore CreekUnnamed Tributary 2

13951390

13911387

13791383

1392

13841378

1386

*1381*1377 *1382*1376

1101SAN DIEGO COUNTY,CALIFORNIA

SANTA BARBARA, CITY OF 060335

NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM

PMR/OEN MAP

CONTAINS:

COMMUNITY NUMBER

DATE

Federal Emergency Management Agency

APRIL 19, 2010

SUBMISSION BY:

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 060331

MAP SCALE 1" = 3,000'0 1,200 2,400 3,600FEET

MAP SYMBOLOGY

*From Preliminary DFIRM Database

BASE DATA*

FINALIZED SCOPE

FLOOD ZONES*Zone AZone AEZone AE/FloodwayZone AE (static elevations)Zone AHZone AOZone VZone VEZone VE (static elevations)Zone DShaded Zone X

1001Corporate BoundaryCounty BoundaryReservation BoundaryPrimary RoadLevee

FIRM Panel Number

FIRM PanelRevised Panel Neatline

Approximate StudyLimited Detailed StudyUse of Effective InformationRedelineated StudyDetailed Study, Steady FlowDetailed Study, Unsteady Flow

No Restudy

HUC-8 Watershed Boundary

PROPOSED PANEL SUMMARYProposed Panels Panels1" = 2000' 01" = 1000' 01" = 500' 5Total Panels 5

Detailed Study, 2-D

StreamDetailed, Steady-State

Detailed, 2-D

Limited Detail

Coyote Creek 1.15Laguna Channel 0.73Mission Creek 0.23 0.08Rattlesnake Creek 1.71Rattlesnake Creek Unnamed Tributary 1 0.23Rattlesnake Creek Unnamed Tributary 2 0.1Rattlesnake Creek Unnamed Tributary 3 0.12Sycamore Creek 2.24 0.95Sycamore Creek Unnamed Tributary 1 0.63Sycamore Creek Unnamed Tributary 1-1 0.21Sycamore Creek Unnamed Tributary 1-2 0.05Sycamore Creek Unnamed Tributary 2 0.9Sycamore Creek Unnamed Tributary 3 0.12Unnamed Ponding Area 0.5Westmont Creek 1.16Total Study Miles 3.2 0.5 7.41

STREAM STUDY MILES SUMMARY