WHEAT RIDGE —More than 100 homeowners along Clear Creek in Wheat Ridge could be required to get flood insurance next year.
New maps for the National Flood Insurance Program were officially approved by FEMA this summer and go into effect Feb. 5.
A total of 267 parcels of land in Wheat Ridge will be added to the floodplain under the maps, while 82 are removed, according to city documents.
Not all parcels are homes — roughly 55 percent of the current map is open space — but an estimated 100-200 residences will fall under NFIP starting next year, said Mark Westberg, engineering design supervisor for the city.
“It’s a big impact on people,” Westberg said. “If you have a mortgage, your mortgage company is required by federal law to get flood insurance.”
A public meeting to discuss the upcoming revisions to the map and related regulations is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, 4005 Kipling St.
City officials will be on hand to present information on the changes and answer questions. All property owners in the current floodplain, as well as those to be added in the new maps, will receive notice of the meeting, said Nathan Mosley, a city spokesman.
All told, the new maps represent a 30 percent increase in the number of parcels in the floodplain, according to city documents.
The most impacted residential area is the Clearvale subdivision, located north of Clear Creek and east of Estes Street between West 46th and 48th avenues. Maps were last updated in 2003.
The new maps could double the number of flood-insurance policies in the city, Westberg said. The number currently sits at 181, he said.
Only those property owners with mortgages will be required to buy flood insurance, although it is recommended for everyone in the floodplain — especially in light of the catastrophic flooding experienced in Colorado this fall, Westberg said.
“If you don’t have flood insurance, you have nothing,” Westberg said. “You have to figure out how to rebuild your house on your own.”
Those who are required to get flood insurance will also have to get a floodplain elevation certificate completed, a new federal requirement.
New state requirements are triggering a handful of changes to Wheat Ridge’s floodplain ordinance, as well, Westberg said.
Among the changes is a requirement that critical facilities within the floodplain be built or flood-proofed to two feet above the flood elevation.
Critical facilities include police and fire stations, emergency medical facilities, hazardous material storage, schools, day cares and nursing homes.
Basements would also be banned on any property that was removed from the floodplain in the past by using fill materials.
The Wheat Ridge City Council could approve the changes in January, Mosley said. Cities are required to adopt the new state requirements by Jan. 14.
Wheat Ridge officials are also working on additional policy changes that could lower the cost of flood insurance across the city, Westberg said.
Currently, Wheat Ridge residents are eligible for a 20 percent discount on insurance policies based on the city’s flood-protection rating. That brings the cost of insurance in Wheat Ridge down to about $1,100, he said.
With some additional work, that discount could be increased to 25 percent, Westberg said.
If you go
What: Wheat Ridge floodplain public meeting
When: 5-7 p.m. Oct. 23
Where: Wheat Ridge Recreation Center, 4005 Kipling St.
