Scoping of Flood Hazard Mapping Needs for Penobscot County, Maine

Open-File Report 2007-1129

Published 2007
Online Only

Scoping of Flood Hazard Mapping Needs for Penobscot County, Maine

By Charles W. Schalk and Robert W. Dudley

Prepared in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region I and the Maine Floodplain Management Program, State Planning Office.

Background

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) developed a plan in 1997 to modernize the FEMA flood mapping program. FEMA flood maps delineate flood hazard areas in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's plan outlined the steps necessary to update FEMA's flood maps for the nation to a seamless digital format and streamline FEMA's operations in raising public awareness of the importance of the maps and responding to requests to revise them. The modernization of flood maps involves conversion of existing information to digital format and integration of improved flood hazard data as needed. To determine flood mapping modernization needs, FEMA has established specific scoping activities to be done on a county-by-county basis for identifying and prioritizing requisite flood-mapping activities for map modernization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with FEMA and the Maine State Planning Office Floodplain Management Program (MFMP), began scoping work in 2006 for Penobscot County. Scoping activities included assembling existing data and map needs information for communities in Penobscot County, documentation of data, contacts, community meetings, and prioritized mapping needs in a final scoping report (this document), and updating the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) Database with information gathered during the scoping process.

As of 2007, the average age of the FEMA floodplain maps in Penobscot County, Maine, is 22 years, based on the most recent revisions to the maps. Because the revisions did not affect all the map panels in each town, however, the true average date probably is more than 22 years. Many of the studies were published in the mid-1980s. Since the studies were completed, development has occurred in many of the watersheds, and the characteristics of the watersheds have changed with time. Therefore, many of the older studies may not depict current conditions nor accurately estimate risk in terms of flood heights or flood mapping.

Report

Download the report in Portable Document Format (PDF).

Open-File Report 2007-1129 (PDF–1.51MB)

Section 1. Introduction
- Background
- Scope of Work
- Description of Penobscot County
Section 2. Available Flood-Mapping Data and Mapping Needs
- Community FISs and FIRMs
- State of Maine Best Available Data (BAD) for Unnumbered A-Zones
- Letters of Map Change (LOMCs)
- LOMCs in Penobscot County
- Community Flood Ordinances
- Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS)
- Community Assistance Visits (CAVs) and Community Assistance Contacts (CACs)
- GIS Data
- Base Map Data
- Topographic Data
- Hydrography Data
- Community GIS Contact Information
- Community Meetings and Contacts
- Scope and Prioritization of Mapping Needs in Penobscot County
  - Prioritization of Towns in Penobscot County
  - Prioritization of Waterbodies in Penobscot County
- Project Time and Costs for Identified Mapping Needs
- Project Alternatives
Section 3. Options for Future Mapping and DTM Preparation
- Mapping Requirements
- Base Map
- Digital Terrain Models (DTMs)
- Flood-Insurance Risk Zones
Section 4. References Cited
Appendices
Appendix A: Community Contacts and Best Available Data: Penobscot County
Appendix B: Community Scoping Interview Data: Penobscot County
Appendix C: Existing MNUSS Data Entries: Penobscot County
Appendix D: Attachments
Appendix E: Census Block-Group (CBG)

Tables

Table 1. Organized communities and unorganized territories in Penobscot County, Maine

Table 2. Summary of letters of map change (LOMCs) in Penobscot County, Maine

Table 3. Summary of unique, non-placeholder entries in the Mapping Needs Update Support System (MNUSS) for Penobscot County, Maine

Table 4. Summary of Community Assistance Visits (CAVs) and Community Assistance Contacts (CACs) in Penobscot County, Maine

Table 5. Maine Department of Transportation mapped projects that intersect streams in Penobscot County identified as needing updated flood-insurance studies

Table 6. Maine Floodplain Management Program criteria for prioritization of community-based flood mapping needs in Penobscot County

Table 7. Maine Floodplain Management Program criteria for prioritization of community-based flood mapping needs in Penobscot County

Table 8. Maine Floodplain Management Program criteria and qualitative weight for prioritization of waterbody-based flood mapping needs in Penobscot County

Table 9. Prioritized waterbody-based flood mapping needs by community in Penobscot County requiring redelineation, limited detail study, or detail study

Table 10. Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Horizontal Accuracy

Table 11. National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA)

Figures

Figure 1A. Map showing communities in Penobscot County, Maine (northern)

Figure 1B. Map showing communities in Penobscot County, Maine (southern)

Figure 2A. Map showing hydrology of Penobscot County, Maine (northern)

Figure 2B. Map showing hydrology of Penobscot County, Maine (southern)

Figure 3A. Map showing types of waterbody studies needed by communities in Penobscot County (northern)

Figure 3B. Map showing types of waterbody studies needed by communities in Penobscot County (southern)

Figure 4A. Map showing proposed DFIRM panels for Penobscot County, Maine (northern)

Figure 4B. Map showing proposed DFIRM panels for Penobscot County, Maine (southern)

Contact

For questions or comments, please send inquiries to:
Robert Lent, Director
U.S. Geological Survey
Maine Water Science Center
196 Whitten Road
Augusta, Maine 04330

E-mail: dc_me@usgs.gov

For more information, visit our Web site at:
U.S. Geological Survey
Maine Water Science Center
http://me.water.usgs.gov/

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Published 2007 Online Only