DENVER – Updates to Mineral County, Montana’s flood insurance rate maps are nearing completion. The new maps will provide portions of the Clark Fork and St. Regis Rivers and several tributary streams in Mineral County with more accurate flood risk information that can help local officials and residents make informed decisions about reducing flood risks and purchasing flood insurance.
The mapping project was initiated in 2016 and is a joint effort between Mineral County, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), and FEMA. It is part of a nationwide effort led by FEMA to increase local knowledge of flood risk and support actions to address and reduce that risk.
In Mineral County, the project involved flood study work on 58 miles of the Clark Fork River, 37 miles of the St. Regis River, and 71 miles of smaller tributaries to these rivers. New and updated flood insurance rate maps were produced, indicating areas at risk of flooding in a one-percent annual chance flood event. The new floodplain maps will be used to replace existing floodplain maps from 1996 and update Mineral County and communities to the countywide digital flood insurance rate map format.
Officials encourage residents and business owners to review the proposed maps to learn about the flood threat in their area, and potential future flood insurance purchase requirements.
Once preliminary maps are released, there is a 90-day appeal period during which community members can provide additional data for consideration before the maps are final. This appeal period ends on September 13, 2022. Appeal packages should address scientific or technical mistakes in the maps and must include supporting data or engineering documentation.
The proposed maps can be viewed online at www.floodplain.mt.gov/mineral and at the Mineral County Environmental Health and Planning Department.
If you have technical and scientific information, such as detailed hydraulic or hydrologic data, you may be able to appeal the flood risk information on the proposed maps during the 90-day appeal period. For further details on this process, visit www.floodplain.mt.gov/mineral or contact Andy Short, Mineral County Floodplain Administrator at 406-822-3525, or Nadene Wadsworth, DNRC Floodplain Outreach Specialist at 406-444-6732.