CTS Committee Holds Eighth Meeting

The State of North Carolina's Cooperating Technical State (CTS) Committee held its eighth meeting on May 22, 2001.

The meeting began with the announcement that the North Carolina CTS Floodplain Mapping Program had been selected to receive the Tom Lee State Award for Excellence, Platinum Level. Through this annual award, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) recognizes outstanding floodplain management programs or activities at the state level.

Status updates were then provided on a number of topics. Highlights are as follows:

• Scoping:
  • The scoping has been completed for the six eastern river basins.
    
  • Final Scoping Meetings for the last basin (Pasquotank) were held on May 17 and May 18.
    
  • Phase II will address the five central river basins: Chowan, Roanoke, Yadkin, Catawba, and New River. The proposed scoping plan uses an approach similar to that used for Phase I, and calls for completion of Phase II scoping by the end of November 2001.
    
• Flood Data Development:
  
  • White Oak River Basin-Field survey of hydraulic structures and streams has been completed. The engineering analyses are underway with an expected completion by the end of May 2001.
    
  • Lumber River Basin-Field survey of hydraulic structures and streams has been completed. The engineering analyses are underway. The first of three phases is expected to be completed by late June 2001.
    
  • Tar-Pamlico River Basin-The field survey of hydraulic structures and streams is 50% complete. The engineering analyses are underway, and the first of three phases is expected to be completed by mid-June 2001.
    
  • Cape Fear River Basin-The field survey of hydraulic structures and streams and the engineering analyses are underway.
    
  • Neuse River Basin: The draft basin plan is being revised, and the Delivery Order for the engineering analyses are underway.
• DFIRM Specifications:
  
  • Sample DFIRM products were reviewed.
    
  • The DFIRM database is being designed.
    
• Program Funding/Partnering:
  
  • Governor Easley did not fund Phase II basins or operation costs for 2002. However, there is still funding that was allocated for the first six basins and funding from Federal agencies. The CTS Committee is proceeding with plans in hopes that the General Assembly will encourage the funding.
    
• Information Technology (IT) Requirements Analysis and Preliminary Design:
  
  • The Requirements Analysis has been completed, and a "Preliminary System Design" and "Work Plan" are being reviewed.
    
  • ESRI software has been selected for the IT design. The User Requirements Analysis listed ESRI products as the number one GIS software in North Carolina. The State is working with ESRI developers.
    
  • The goal is to have a system by the end of September 2001.

In addition to the status updates, several Work Groups gave reports. The Post-Flood Verification Work Group reported that a DEM Hurricane Exercise involving role-playing in the hurricane disaster scenario would take place on May 23, 2001. The Real-Time Flood Forecasting Work Group is defining goals for this component of the State's Flood Mapping Program. The Higher Standards Work Group hopes to distribute a draft manual at the next CTS Committee Meeting.

A strategy (including a timeline) to prepare all stakeholders for the new FIRMs was presented.

Finally, future conditions mapping was discussed. The State is investigating procedures that communities must follow to request, fund, and implement future conditions mapping; data that the community must provide; and technical specifications for analyzing and mapping future conditions. In addition, FEMA is pursuing a necessary rule change in Federal regulations to map future conditions on FIRMs.

The next CTS Committee Meeting is scheduled for June 19, 2001.