The Federal Emergency Management Agency is refusing to retreat from new floodplain maps that D.C. officials fear could drastically affect future development across downtown Washington.
The new maps incorporate much of the city’s core into the 100-year floodplain, generally between Pennsylvania and Madison avenues and between Third Street Southwest and South Capitol Street. Most homeowners and businesses within the new plain will have to obtain flood insurance with annual premiums of at least $500, while developers will have to meet stringent and costly design standards.
FEMA officials told the National Capital Planning Commission on Thursday that it intends to enforce the maps starting Sept. 26, rejecting D.C.’s concerns of “severe adverse land use and economic impacts.”
“FEMA would be derelict in our duties if we did not move forward,” said Gene Gruber, the agency’s mitigation division director. “This risk is real and could happen anytime.”
Harriet Tregoning, D.C.’s planning director and a commission member, sought to delay implementation of the maps. The revised floodplain, Tregoning said, threatens the viability of projects and may force developers to cut whole floors from their designs. John Cogbill III, the commission’s chairman, said the revised maps were poorly timed given the weak economy.
At the heart of the issue is a 70-year-old levee system managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The National Mall levee has three major gaps — at 23rd and Constitution, 17th Street, and Fort McNair — that would have to be filled with sandbags in the event of a flood. The Corps intends to permanently close the breaks at 23rd Street and Fort McNair, but until a reliable temporary system can be installed at 17th Street, FEMA considers the levee “unacceptable.”
“Lives and property are at risk,” FEMA’s Jon Janowicz said.
Corps engineers told the commission of an $8 million plan to install a 500-foot-long concrete sill perpendicular to 17th Street, in which 10-foot-tall steel posts and plates could be quickly installed during a flood. But the project is unfunded and could take years to complete.
