Bay Area Levee Certification

All levees in the Bay Area, whether protecting from tidal or riverine flooding, must be certified that they meet FEMA standards.  As FEMA converts its  paper floodplain maps to digital format (in 2006 and beyond), the federal agency has required that all levees providing flood protection must be documented as certified, or else the areas they protect will be mapped back into the FEMA-regulated 1% floodplain.  Areas that have never been regulated as part of the FEMA 1% flood area are subject to floodplain regulations and mandatory insurance purchase requirements, unless the protective levees can be certified and documented according to FEMA standards prior to the release of the updated Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). 

This project will inventory levees and collect documentation to FEMA standards, and certify levees and/or scope the process of certification for those levees that have not been previously certified to FEMA standards.  The project will also scope the level of effort required to improve levees to meet FEMA standards for those levees that might require physical/geotechnical improvements.