Title
Ordinance amending the Lake County Watershed Development Ordinance (WDO) to adopt the updated Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps and additional technical and administrative enhancements.
Staff Summary
* On April 5, 2023, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) notified the Stormwater Management Commission (SMC), Lake County and several Communities that FEMA had issued new maps for nineteen Lake County Communities. The email mentioned that letters were recently sent to all affected communities and that the FEMA maps must be adopted by October 5, 2023.
* Both FEMA and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) have been in coordination with SMC regarding amendments since April 2022. The project timeline for these amendments started to come together in January 2023.
* Over the past five months, the SMC and its advisory committees held four public meetings. These meetings included us developing, discussing, and approving 33 proposed amendments. There were two amendments discussed and approved in 2021 by the SMC Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). These two 2021 amendments (approved rainfall data and IDNR floodway storage regulations) continue to be valid since no pertinent updates have occurred over the past two years regarding these topics.
* In total there are 35 proposed amendments. The proposed amendments pertain to coastal high hazard areas (V-Zones), FEMA maps, wetlands, floodway storage, floodplains, designated erosion control inspections, rainfall table, and administrative items.
Body
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, your Planning, Building, Zoning and Environment Committee presents herewith an Ordinance requesting the Lake County Board consider proposed text amendments to the Watershed Development Ordinance (WDO) adopting the latest floodplain maps prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has re-evaluated and revised the Flood Insura...
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