By Amy Batista, Special Writer
HIGHTSTOWN – The borough council discussed updating its Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance after recently being contacted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection during its meeting on April 4.
Borough Engineer Carmela Roberts said that FEMA and the NJDEP recently notified the borough that the agencies are ready to adopt the new flood insurance maps, effective in July.
“In order for the borough to remain part of the flood insurance program, you must adopt changes to the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance,” said Ms. Roberts. “The DEP has suggested a certain ordinance for you.”
According to Ms. Roberts, the borough can either try to update the ordinance it has or just move forward with the current ordinance.
“What I did and what I submitted to you is to take the new ordinance and make it relevant to Hightstown,” said Ms. Roberts. “However, it is very similar to the ordinance that you have today.”
Ms. Roberts, former Councilwoman Lynne Woods and former Police Director and Interim Borough Administrator James LeTellier attended a FEMA maps meeting July 24, 2013, when FEMA was in the process of adopting new flood insurance maps. They presented new information about the maps at the July 25, 2013, council meeting.
During that meeting, Ms. Roberts said the municipal property on the west side of Main Street had a 100-year flood elevation of 83 feet in 1929. The same property on the new maps has a 100-year flood elevation of 82 feet.
Overall, the new maps show areas of Hightstown where the 100-year flood line has increased and some areas where it has decreased.
Ms. Roberts said that FEMA has changed certain designations. The 5-year, 10-year, 100-year and 500-year storms now have percentages associated with them. For example, the 100-year storm has a 1 percent chance of occurring, and the 500-year storm has a .2 percent chance of occurring.
The zone designations also have changed. Ms. Roberts said that the A zone was the 100-year zone, the B zone was the 500-year zone, and the C zone was everything else outside the flood lines. Currently the boroug has the A zone, the AE zone and the X zone. Both the A zone and the AE zone are 100-year storm zones. The X zone is the 500-year storm zone. Hightstown is located in the AE zone.
The 100-year storm zone used to encompass the firehouse, the majority of Borough Hall, a lot of the Rug Mill property and about half of the water treatment plant.
“I wanted to point out that the maps of the new flood areas have not changed in the several years that we’ve been discussing this,” said Ms. Roberts during the meeting last week.
She said that she believes it was almost three years ago that the borough received the draft plans.
“The Borough Hall is no longer flood zone,” she said. “The firehouse is mostly not in a flood zone.”
Nothing’s changed as far as the mapping goes, she added.
“You are simply nearing the end of the line because FEMA is nearing the end of the line to adopt a new ordinance,” she said.
Ms. Roberts said that the borough has to submit this to the DEP to so that they make sure and the DEP makes sure that this ordinance is in effect as of July.
Ms. Roberts added that there is also reference to a base flood elevation so that they know exactly what the flood elevations are.
“No elevation has changed as far as this update in Hightstown,” she said.
Mayor Larry Quattrone said that the borough will make sure the maps are up on the borough website.
“One of the important things that is in here is that buildings must be built with one foot of free board, meaning that one foot above 100-year flood elevation,” Ms. Roberts said. “That’s firm and it’s in your ordinance.”
The borough’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance is under the jurisdiction of their Borough Code Enforcement Officer.
“The next step is (borough attorney) Fred (Raffetto) has a few things to add to it and then the ordinance has to be sent to the DEP,” said Ms. Roberts. “They will give you their blessing and then you can introduce it.”
The deadline for submission to the DEP is July 20.
