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U.S.Depkrtment of Homelmd Security <br /> Region 10 <br /> 130 2 <br /> 130 28th Street,SW <br /> Bothell,WA 98021-8627 <br /> OP,Pllkij)F; <br /> RECE►i/Ep �a FEMA <br /> E��ND SEGJ <br /> KlTTirAS Col1NTy <br /> BOARD OF Co"'SSIONfMfirch 13, 2024 <br /> The Honorable Brett Wachsmith <br /> Chair, Board of Commissioners, Kittitas County <br /> 205 West 5th Avenue, Suite 108 <br /> Ellensburg, Washington 98926 <br /> Re: 30-Day Notification for Proposed Engineering Models <br /> Dear Chair Wachsmith: <br /> This letter serves as a notice of the engineering data models being used for the Federal Emergency <br /> Management Agency's (FEMA)ongoing flood risk project in Kittitas County, Washington. In <br /> March 2024,we met to discuss the scope of work with community officials during a community <br /> engagement conference call. As discussed, FEMA's goal is to offer useful, credible data, and a fair <br /> process to help you make informed decisions to continue building a safer and stronger community. <br /> These engineering data models will form the basis for the proposed Special Flood Hazard Areas <br /> (SFHAs)that will be presented on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for your community. An <br /> SFHA is an area that is subject to inundation by the 1-percent-annual-chance flood(also called the <br /> base flood). Over time, water flow and drainage patterns in your area may have changed <br /> dramatically due to surface erosion, land use, and natural forces. The models are based on the latest <br /> topographic data available, which reflects all physical changes to the floodplain since the previous <br /> study, for the areas being revised. Given these factors,the likelihood of flooding in certain areas may <br /> have increased or decreased over time, changing the SFHA designations. <br /> Draft flood hazard information for Kittitas County, Washington (developed by FEMA's mapping <br /> partner, STARR 11)will be based on one- (1 D) and two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic engineering <br /> models developed using the free, publicly available tools developed by the U.S. Army Corps of <br /> Engineers (USACE) Hydrologic Engineering Center. These tools are widely used,well-documented, <br /> and meet the applicable regulations (44 CFR 65.6(a)(6))for use within the National Flood Insurance <br /> Program(NFIP). An online web viewer is available for reviewing the stream reaches scoped for this <br /> flood study update: httn://tinvurl.com/WAKittitasCO. The specific engineering models were selected <br /> based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the type of study performed (e.g., base or <br /> enhanced, shallow flooding,coastal, alluvial fan, etc.),the size of the drainage area affecting the <br /> flooding source, and the type of terrain present(e.g., flat, hilly,mountainous, etc.). <br /> If there are any concerns with the proposed engineering methods, your community should notify the <br /> FEMA Project Officer, listed below, within 30 days of the receipt of this notification. Your <br /> community will have additional opportunities to comment on and provide feedback about the models <br /> and other draft flood hazard information throughout the project. If there are uncertainties about the <br /> ww ,ferna.gov <br />