Flood and Erosion Control Board
According to the Ridgefield Town Charter, the Conservation Commission also serves as the Flood and Erosion Control Board (FECB). The FECB has the following authority as described in Connecticut General Statutes Section 25-85, Establishment of flood or erosion control system:
Such board shall have authority, within the limits of appropriations from time to time made by the municipality, to plan, lay out, acquire, construct, reconstruct, repair, maintain, supervise and manage a flood or erosion control system. As used in sections 25-84 to 25-94, inclusive, "flood or erosion control system" means any dike, berm, dam, piping, groin, jetty, sea wall, embankment, revetment, tide-gate, water storage area, ditch, drain or other structure or facility useful in preventing or ameliorating damage from floods or erosion, whether caused by fresh or salt water, or any dam forming a lake or pond that benefits abutting properties, and shall include any easements, rights-of-way and riparian rights which may be required in furtherance of any such system.
Flood and Erosion Control Board Program Purpose
The Connecticut FECB program provides state financial assistance to municipalities that have an active FECB for preventing potential hazards due to flooding, stream bank erosion or beach erosion. In addition, FECB’s may repair municipal dams or undertake non-structural measures that mitigate flood damages. An example of a non-structural project may include flood warning systems, flood proofing projects or the removal or relocation of severely flood prone residences.
FECB funding is provided to towns and cities that apply for assistance on a priority basis. Section 25-71 of the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) establishes the level of State participation in a project. FECB monies are not available to private dam owners or private property owners. However, tax districts are considered municipalities for the purpose of FECB funding if the district is established in accordance with CGS Section 7-339a.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Maps
The FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC) is the official public source for flood hazard information produced in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). You can use the MSC to find your official flood map, access a range of other flood hazard products, and take advantage of tools for better understanding flood risk. Please use this linhttps://msc.fema.gov/portal/homek along with the address for the property of interest to find the appropriate map