For immediate release
Changes Proposed to TualatinValley and LakeOswego Floodplain Maps
Hillsboro, OR — June 3, 2003 —
People who live near streams in the Tualatin River watershed and residents around Lake Oswego are invited to attend a public open house to view and comment on proposed changes in floodplain maps. Clean Water Services, in partnership with Washington County, the Cities of Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Tualatin, Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Cornelius, North Plains, King City and Sherwood, must submit the proposals to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by June 30, 2003.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains maps to show which properties lie within a floodplain. The maps help communities plan flood management projects and determine who needs flood insurance. They also define where and how development is allowed. Because drainage areas change over time, the maps need to be updated to accurately depict the lay of the land.
FLOODPLAIN MAP OPEN HOUSES
- Lake Oswego
3-8 p.m., Tuesday, June 10
Lake Oswego at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, 4040 Sunset Drive
- Tualatin
3-8 p.m., Wednesday, June 11
Tualatin Police Department, 8650 SW Tualatin Road
- Beaverton
3-8 p.m., Thursday, June 12
BeavertonCity Library, 12375 SW Fifth Street
- Hillsboro
3-8 p.m., Monday, June 16
Hillsboro at WashingtonCounty Public Services Bldg Cafeteria, 155 N. First Ave.
The 1996 floods proved the floodplains in the Tualatin River watershed had changed since they were mapped in the 1980’s. In response, Clean Water Services and its partners teamed up with FEMA to embark upon the ambitious process of updating the maps. Unlike many communities that cannot afford to update their floodplain maps, proactive public agencies in the Tualatin watershed invested in the Watersheds 2000 project which provided much of the surveying data needed to begin floodplain map updates. This set the stage for Clean Water Services and FEMA to receive $460,000 in federal funding for the project.
This is not the first time floodplain maps have been updated recently in the Tualatin watershed, as Fanno Creek subbasin remapping was completed in 1999.
Clean Water Services is the sanitary sewer and surface water management utility for more than 460,000 people in urban Washington County and small portions of Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Lake Oswego, and Portland. Clean Water Services operates four wastewater treatment plants, constructs and maintains flood management and water quality projects and manages flow in the Tualatin River to improve water quality and protect fish habitat. Although Clean Water Services maintains a close working relationship with Washington County government, it is a separately managed and financed public utility.
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