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Northampton FEMA Watershed Discovery QuestionnaireFEMA Middle CT, Westfield, or ChicopeeWatersheds Discovery Questionnaire This version of the questionnaire is for community government officials. This questionnaire covers the following topics pertaining to the upcoming Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) study. Each section will likely take a few minutes to complete if you have detailed information. Desired Study Areas Existing Data Studies Funding Levees GIS Data If you do not have time to complete this questionnaire or if you do not know enough about any of these topics, please let us know, as this is also important information. If you choose to fill out a hardcopy of this form, please send the completed questionnaire to Frances Buithe Project Manager with Compass, a contractor to FEMA for this study, at: Frances Bui Compass Project Manager c/o CDM Smith 75 State Street, Suite 701 Boston, MA 02109 (617) 452-6288 You may also email the completed version of this questionnaire to BuiFA@cdmsmith.com. We will follow up with you to arrange to obtain any relevant data that you have, unless you would like to send the data to us along with this questionnaire. Please feel free to include data in hardcopy or digital form (such as on a CD or DVD) with this questionnaire. Thank you! Your Information Date:October 21, 2018 Circle one:Mr. Your name:Wayne Feiden, FAICP Your title:Director of Planning & Sustainability__ Acting__ Interime.g., Mayor, Director Your department:Planning & Sustainabilitye.g., Department of Public Works Community:City of NorthamptonCounty:Hampshiree.g., City of Boston Your phone number:(413) 587-1265Include area code, extension Your email address:WFeiden@NorthamptonMA.gov Your mailing address:Planning & SustainabilityInclude building name and department name if applicable210 Main St., City HallNorthampton, MA 01060City, State, ZIP How would you prefer to be contacted in future, especially for further data collection? Rank each option from most preferred (1) to least preferred (3). Letter2 (1-3) Email1 (1-3) Telephone3 (1-3) Desired Study Areas If you have more than one desired study area, please photocopy this page before filling it in, and attach the filled photocopies as well. Enter information for areas in your community with known flooding or mapping problems. Please include all possible information for each area. If there are no such areas in your community, please check the box below and leave the rest of the page blank. __ No desired study areas __ Not familiar with any issues with maps >>Name of flooding source:Parsons Brooke.g., Bond Brook Extents needing update:Westhampton town line to Easthampton town linee.g., “From State Street to Washington Avenue” Approximate river miles:4 miles Level of study requested:__ Remove Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) Check one__ Zone AE (floodway)__ Zone AXXRedelineation__ Zone AE (no floodway)__ Other: Reason for update:Check all that apply __ Clustered Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs)__ Transportation-related projects in floodplain XX_ 100-year flooding outside mapped SFHA__ Other changes made in floodplain __ National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims and/or repetitive losses outsidemapped SFHA XX__ Area of rapid growth or recent development __ Other: Desired Study Areas If you have more than one desired study area, please photocopy this page before filling it in, and attach the filled photocopies as well. Enter information for areas in your community with known flooding or mapping problems. Please include all possible information for each area. If there are no such areas in your community, please check the box below and leave the rest of the page blank. __ No desired study areas __ Not familiar with any issues with maps >>Name of flooding source:Connecticut Rivere.g., Bond Brook Extents needing update:From the Hatfield town line to the Easthampton town linee.g., “From State Street to Washington Avenue” Approximate river miles:7.2 miles Level of study requested:__ Remove Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) Check one__ Zone AE (floodway)__ Zone AXXRedelineation__ Zone AE (no floodway)__ Other: Reason for update:Check all that apply __ Clustered Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs)__ Transportation-related projects in floodplain __ 100-year flooding outside mapped SFHA__ Other changes made in floodplain __ National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims and/or repetitive losses outsidemapped SFHA __ Area of rapid growth or recent development XX Other: 44 years with changing climate patterns and changes in upstream dams Desired Study Areas If you have more than one desired study area, please photocopy this page before filling it in, and attach the filled photocopies as well. Enter information for areas in your community with known flooding or mapping problems. Please include all possible information for each area. If there are no such areas in your community, please check the box below and leave the rest of the page blank. __ No desired study areas __ Not familiar with any issues with maps >>Name of flooding source:Mill Rivere.g., Bond Brook Extents needing update:From Williamsburg town line to confluence with Conn. River Oxbowe.g., “From State Street to Washington Avenue” Approximate river miles:9.2 miles Level of study requested:__ Remove Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) Check one__ Zone AE (floodway)__ Zone AXX_ Redelineation__ Zone AE (no floodway)__ Other: Reason for update:Check all that apply __ Clustered Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs)__ Transportation-related projects in floodplain XX 100-year flooding outside mapped SFHA__ Other changes made in floodplain __ National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims and/or repetitive losses outsidemapped SFHA XX Area of rapid growth or recent development XX Other: 44 years with changing climate patterns and changes in Mill River dams Desired Study Areas If you have more than one desired study area, please photocopy this page before filling it in, and attach the filled photocopies as well. Enter information for areas in your community with known flooding or mapping problems. Please include all possible information for each area. If there are no such areas in your community, please check the box below and leave the rest of the page blank. __ No desired study areas __ Not familiar with any issues with maps >>Name of flooding source:Manhan Rivere.g., Bond Brook Extents needing update:Westhampton town line to Easthampton town linee.g., “From State Street to Washington Avenue” Approximate river miles:1 mile Level of study requested:__ Remove Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) Check one__ Zone AE (floodway)__ Zone AXXRedelineation__ Zone AE (no floodway)__ Other: Reason for update:Check all that apply __ Clustered Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs)__ Transportation-related projects in floodplain XX_ 100-year flooding outside mapped SFHA__ Other changes made in floodplain __ National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims and/or repetitive losses outsidemapped SFHA XX__ Area of rapid growth or recent development __ Other: Existing Data Studies Are you aware of any existing data studies by the community, developers, Department of Transportation (DOT), or others in the study area that could be used in an Flood Insurance Study update? __ YesX No If yes, please provide information, including brief details, dates, extents, and contact information so that the data can be obtained for Discovery. We do have the original 1974 floodplain study, if for any reason you need that. Are there any recent hydrologic and hydraulic studies, land development, or infrastructure projects in the watershed that could affect flood risk? The city has done an analysis of our stormwater system and is currently doing an analysis of green infrastructure opportunities, which may be helpful for areas mapped as areas of minimal flooding where local flooding does occur. Funding Does the community have funding or data that can be leveraged to contribute to a new study? XX Yes__ No I don’t know If yes, please provide details. The city does not have funding to offer. We do have detailed citywide LiDAR data and orthophotos that we flew (and shared with MassGIS) and planimetric maps that we commissioned that can be used. Levees Are there levees in your community that provide protection from the 100-year flood on flooding sources in the study area? XX Yes__ No__ I don’t know If yes, please provide, for each levee, the flooding source protected against, the general location of the levee, and the owner and point of contact for the levee. Levees around downtown protect from the Connecticut River (on the south and east) and the Mill River (on the west). The levees are owned and operated by the City of Northampton Department of Public Works, David Veleta City Engineer as contact. If yes, do these levees meet FEMA 65.10 requirements? __ Yes__ NoXX I don’t know If they do meet the requirements, do you have the documentation to support recertification? __ Yes__ NoXX I don’t know GIS Data Any extra geospatial data that your community can provide, especially building footprints and occupancy, essential facilities, and historic flooding information, may significantly improve the flood risk datasets that may be provided in a RiskMAP project. Does your community have any of the following types of spatial data that are other than or better than the data available from the state GIS depot? Check one box for each row. Yes – better than state GIS Yes – worse than or same as state GIS No I don’t know Topography – LiDAR X Topography – Other X Orthophotography X Transportation X Political boundaries X Hydrography X Land use X Parcels X Building footprints X Building occupancy X Essential facilities X Dams, levees, hydraulic structures X Historic flooding inundation X Wetlands or environmentally sensitive areas X Other If “Other” was selected as better than state GIS, please describe below. For each dataset selected as better than state GIS above, please provide general information about the data, including ground date, accuracy/scale, and general coverage area. The city commissioned citywide LiDAR remote sensing with the assistance of USGS. We have provided this to MassGIS but I don’t know if it is in their publically accessible database or not. Wetlands data is state and federal data augmented by data retrieved from local applications for wetlands permits. If there are planned updates or acquisitions for any of the above datasets, please provide general information, including projected date, accuracy/scale, and general coverage area. Add any other information that you would like us to know about GIS data in your community. Compliance and Training Compass contacted the Floodplain Administrator (FPA) in most Watershed communities prior to sending this questionnaire. To make sure we have all the pertinent contact information accurately, please confirm the name, best mailing address, phone number, and email information as well as the department and title of the FPA. Wayne Feiden, FAICP, Director of Planning & Sustainability, WFeiden@NorthamptonMA.gov (413) 587-1265, 210 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 Comments or Questions Add any other comments or questions that you have about any aspect of RiskMAP projects, the Discovery process, or flood risk in general. Do you expect that any other official in your community may have anything to add about the topics in this questionnaire? X__ No, I am the best source_X_ Yes, other(s) may know more__ I don’t know If yes, please specify the official(s) below (name, department, and title) who may be able to contribute more information. Please also feel free to share the link to the online questionnaire with them directly, if they have not already received it. David Veleta, City Engineer, Northampton Department of Public Works is the best source for information on the levees around downtown and for stormwater engineering studies. This concludes the survey. Thank you!