County not happy with flood-plain revisions

A letter sent by the Flathead County commissioners to the Federal Emergency Management Agency about flood elevations assigned to Evergreen properties echoed the frustrations felt by many Evergreen residents over the federal agency’s revisions.

FEMA’s revised flood insurance rate maps affect about 1,000 parcels in Evergreen.

The biggest effect the flood elevation changes have on property owners is future use of their property.

Owners are required to obtain flood-plain development permits for construction. For new construction, fill material must be hauled in to result in new structures sitting at least 2 feet above base flood elevation.

The flood-plain designation also can affect a property owner’s requirement to purchase flood insurance.

The county Planning Office received five written protests of the revisions by the July 25 appeal deadline. Those protests were sent to FEMA with the commissioners’ cover letter.

In the letter, the commissioners noted they spoke with many Evergreen residents who raised concerns over the proposed revisions.

“Although many of these concerns were not based on ‘the possession of knowledge or information indicating that the proposed flood hazard determinations are scientifically or technically incorrect,’ (per FEMA’s letter to the county in April) they were nevertheless based on many, many years of living, working and recreating in the area studied,” the commissioners said.

The commissioners said they had been presented with examples of areas now designated in the 100-year flood plain that residents claim did not flood in 1964, the most severe flood in recent history.

“There is a perception that the revisions lack common sense or some sort of ‘reality check,’” the commissioners wrote. “However, Flathead County does not have the resources available to pursue a study to investigate and possibly validate this perceived discrepancy.”

The commissioners also noted the county doesn’t have the resources to tackle a study of mitigation work involving Montana 35.

Commissioner Pam Holmquist said the letter represents the commissioners’ frustrations with the new flood elevation assignments.

Commissioner Dale Lauman concurred, saying “registering our concerns is very valid.”

Larry Cummings, owner of the White Birch Motel and RV Park on Shady Lane, is among those who filed written protests. He said the revisions put a burden on small business owners.

“It raises the cost of living for all business, which has to be passed on to our customers to be able to stay in business,” Cummings said.

East Evergreen Drive resident Edwin Speelman also filed written comments, voicing concern about the Lybeck Levee, which extends upstream and downstream from the east end of East Reserve Drive. He noted the mile-long levee, “a substantial structure,” wasn’t depicted on the flood-plain maps.

“I believe that I am adversely affected by the omission of an existing substantial flood control structure on the FIRM (Flood Insurance Rate Map) panel ... Not showing existing flood control works on a map and in a report promotes ignorance of this possible course of action and does not encourage education about and planning for such action,” Speelman wrote.

The protests from Evergreen residents now will be considered by FEMA before it issues a letter of final determination for the revised flood-plain maps. The county and city of Kalispell will be required under state and federal law to adopt the revisions once they’ve been handed off to the local government jurisdictions.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.