CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN
The 2008 Maumee River Basin Commission (MRBC) Flood Mitigation Master Plan has been developed as an update to the 1995 Maumee River Basin Flood Control Master Plan (4.4 Megabytes) prepared by Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd.  The 1995 Master Plan successfully identified and recommended possible solutions to the Basin’s flooding problems by screening the possible solutions in regard to technical, environmental, institutional, and economic criteria.

The Maumee River basinThis update will provide information regarding the success of the MRBC to reduce damages associated with flooding; review the existing MRBC programs and recommend improvements to expand these programs; and identify potential new programs and projects to further reduce the damages within the Maumee River Basin.  Best available data were primarily relied upon for the development of this plan. 

The 10-step CRS planning process was followed for the development of the 1995 MRBC Master Plan and this 2008 Master Plan update.  A Steering Committee composed of community officials and general public guided the development and review of this Master Plan update.  The Steering Committee met monthly during the development phase.  A list of Steering Committee members are provided in Appendix G.  In addition, two public information meetings were held, one in northern Allen County and the other  in Fort Wayne, to present the final draft of this document at the start of the public review period and to publicize the website address for the Master Plan.  In addition to these public meetings, updates regarding the development of the 2008 Master Plan Update were provided at the bi-monthly MRBC board meetings, with members of public, media, and IDNR present and time provided for input from all present at the meetings.   The web address of the Master Plan Update was also publicized by a local newspaper to provide the public access to the document during the public review period, which commenced after the public presentation meetings.  The 2008 MRBC Master Plan Update incorporates the vulnerability analyses, risk identification, and recommended mitigation measures of Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans recently developed for Allen, Adams, DeKalb, Steuben, and Noble Counties.  Extensive public and agency coordination were undertaken for the latter plans by MRBC.  These documents are referenced throughout the Master Plan Update and links to these documents provided as appropriate.

THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN COMMISSION
The MRBC was established in 1986 by State Law (I.C. 36-7-6.1) to assist communities in the Indiana portion of the Maumee River Basin to reduce flood losses by exercising sound watershed management. Critical to the success of reducing flooding is implementation of comprehensive structural and non-structural flood control measures basin-wide. This is further noted within the MRBC mission statement:  To provide regional leadership and promotion of flood control, soil and water conservation, and related resource management through a coordinated and comprehensive planning and implementing approach.

To accomplish this, the MRBC is composed of representatives from five counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Noble, and Steuben. Each County is represented by the 3 County Commissioners (or their official designee), the County Surveyor, and a member of the Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors (SWCD) (or their official designee). These members play a critical role in the formulation of policy and program recommendations and work closely with individual communities by providing assistance and guidance on a number of flood mitigation projects.

 

Watershed AcresThe MRBC is able to provide assistance in the areas of flood control project planning and administration, flood mitigation assistance grant writing, 319 water quality improvement grant writing, erosion and sediment control, flood insurance, floodplain ordinances, inventories of flood prone properties, stormwater and erosion control ordinances, soil and water conservation, and public information programs.

MRBC ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDING
MRBC's administrative budget is funded by each of the five participating counties. Each County contributes according to its percentage of land in the Maumee watershed.

OVERVIEW OF MRBC ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Much has been accomplished by the MRBC since the 1995 Master Plan.  In 2006, the MRBC published a summary in the “Celebrating 20 Years of Flood Mitigation in Northeast Indiana, 1986-2006” (14.9 Megabytes).  The following highlights these accomplishments with the numbers updated as of the preparation of this draft:

Education – Public Awareness

  • Established Partnerships with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS)
  • Conducted Disaster Mitigation Act (DMA) Training
  • Coordinated Decatur Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) Training
  • Conducted Floodplain Management 101 Seminar
  • Participated in a National Weather Services Presentation
  • Funded Distribution of “Fate of the River Revisited” Film
  • Participate in Indiana Association of Floodplain and Stormwater Management (INAFSM) and Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM)
  • Provide Data and Cost-Share Money for Early Flood Warning Detection
  • Assist NFIP Community Rating System (CRS) Program (Fort Wayne, Allen County, City of Decatur

Uniform Ordinances

  • Established Model Flood Hazard Area Ordinance
  • Established Model Storm Drainage & Erosion Control Ordinance

No Adverse Impact (NAI) Initiative

  • Published Position Statement
  • Established Compensatory Storage Requirements as part of Model Floodplain Ordinances
  • Established on-site detention requirements as part of Model Storm Drainage Ordinances

Retrofitting Cost-Share Assistance Program

  • Developed Floodproofing Cost-Share Assistance Program Guidance
  • Provide 75% Cost-Share Assistance to Homeowners in 100-year Floodplain
  • Secured Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) Grant for City of Decatur
  • Retrofitted (17) Homes

Voluntary Buyout Cost-Share Assistance Program

  • Developed Voluntary Buyout Cost-Share Assistance Program Guidance
  • Identified Homes in Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
  • Acquired (142) Homes
  • Established (XX) Acres Perpetual Open Space

Stream Obstruction Removal

  • Developed Stream Obstruction Removal Assitance Program Guidance
  • Funded Log Jam Removal Projects on St. Mary’s (Adams County) and St. Joseph Rivers (DeKalb County)

Voluntary Agricultural Land-Use Conversion

  • Developed Voluntary Agricultural Areas Land Use Conversion Cost-Share Assistance Program Guidance
  • Secured two 30-year Conservation Easements (21.53 Ac) along St. Joseph River

Flood Hazard Area Identification and Mitigation

  • Funded detailed flood hazard identification and mapping studies for eight streams
  • Provided Cost-share Match of Allen, Adams, DeKalb, Noble, and Steuben County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plans (MHMP) 

FEMA Map Modernization Program

  • Encouraged Local Involvement in Process
  • Prioritized Streams for Detailed Study
  • Funded Development of 2-foot Contour Mapping

Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP) Program

  • Represent Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Noble, and Steuben Counties 
  • Secured more than $1 million in Federal Cost-share Funds for FIS Studies in Adams, Allen, and DeKalb Counties

A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
Although the MRBC has been tremendously successful in mitigating flood losses in Northeastern Indiana, there is still much work to do.  The continued success of the MRBC and its programs hinges upon further refining the Master Plan, its accessibility, approach, completeness, and clarity of message. 

The vision of the 2008 MRBC Flood Mitigation Master Plan is to develop a web-based planning document that is fully interactive with quick links to the maps and tables.  Where available, data sources will be directly linked so the most recent information is always available.  It is intended that the entire document or individual chapters may be printed on-demand in a user friendly report format.  The data presented and recommendations made in this updated MRBC MP will be based on best available data. 

This Master Plan is composed of the following Chapters, supporting Exhibits and Appendices:

  • Funding Considerations – discussion on funding options and partnerships for program implementation
  • Summary & Conclusions – review of the MRBC, its purpose, accomplishments, and summary of new/improved projects for implementation
  • Implementation Plan – a summary of recommended actions that have been prioritized for implementation of each program.

 

MRBC Master Plan - Introduction