Minor changes to King County’s floodplain management ordinances are necessary to keep the county eligible for a national flood insurance program, and the public has an opportunity to comment on the proposed changes through a public meeting or written remarks.

King County, along with nearly 20,000 other communities across the nation, participates in the National Flood Insurance Program by adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood damage. In order to remain in the flood insurance program, King County needs to make a few minor changes to its regulations.

The proposed ordinance is available for review on line at www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/flooding/code-update.aspx, or by calling 206-296-6519 for a printed copy. A public meeting on this ordinance is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2 from 5-7 p.m. at the Fall City Library, 33415 SE 42nd Place, Fall City.

King County’s flood regulations were reviewed earlier this year for consistency with the National Flood Insurance Program. The review was part of the routine “Community Assistance Visit,” which was conducted by Washington State Department of Ecology, acting on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The review revealed that King County’s flood regulations needed changes in what’s called the “shallow flooding flood zone.” In addition, King County needed to remove from the code the ability for a civil engineer to prepare FEMA elevation certificates, as they can only be prepared by professional land surveyors.

The draft ordinance also would allow fill to be placed within the foundation of an existing residential structure to a level equal to the lowest outside grade without providing compensatory flood storage.

Finally, as an incentive to encourage home elevation projects, the ordinance also proposes to exclude the cost of elevating the lowest floor of a structure above the 100-year flood level when determining if the project is considered a substantial improvement. A substantial improvement determination would trigger additional construction requirements.

King County has issued a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Threshold Determination of Non-Significance for this ordinance and concluded these changes do not pose a significant adverse impact on the environment.

Public comment on the SEPA Threshold Determination and the proposed ordinance is being accepted until 5 p.m. on Monday, June 8. Comments on the ordinance and the SEPA Threshold Determination can be made at the June 2 public meeting, e-mailed to wlrfloodc@kingcounty.gov, or mailed to:

King County Water and Land Resources Division

ATTN: Priscilla Kaufmann

River and Floodplain Management Section

201 South Jackson Street, Suite #600

Seattle, WA 98104-3855

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