Extreme flooding in Ames throughout the last 20 years has increased residential and business demand for flood insurance.

But in order to continue offering that insurance, the city must update floodplain maps for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Ames city officials.

An informational meeting was held at City Hall Wednesday night to propose modifications to the city’s existing floodway boundaries. It was the first of three meetings to create a proposal for new boundaries, which will be submitted to the Ames City Council.

“It’s important that residents let the members of their city council know what they think about the proposed floodways,” said Dale Harrington, director of engineering at Snyder & Associates, Inc., in Ankeny, the company the city contracted in 1994 to conduct studies of the Skunk River and Squaw Creek.

To maintain membership in the National Flood Insurance Program and meet new FEMA regulations, the city must revamp these floodways.

The Snyder & Associates study was designed to develop new ways to protect areas within the city that are prone to flooding.

A floodway is the area inside the floodplain that carries most of the water when a river overflows its banks. The Ames floodway currently covers 860 acres, and no buildings are affected by its position.

“The floodway cannot be built in,” Harrington said. “You can only build in the floodway fringe, which is the area between the floodway and the edge of the floodplain.”

Two proposals were discussed at Wednesday’s meeting, one which would encompass 870 acres and one covering 1,529 acres.

“FEMA mandates that one or the other be picked, and that would become the new requirement,” said Mark Land, project engineer for Snyder & Associates.

As the city is mapped now, 28 structures sit inside the latter proposal. If that floodway were chosen, these structures could not be rebuilt if they sustained significant damage in a natural disaster.

“Inside the floodway boundary, houses cannot be rebuilt if the damage is over 50 percent,” Land said.

The second meeting will consist of detailed discussion of the proposed floodway boundaries, while the third will produce the final recommendation for the city council.

Any questions or comments should be submitted to Snyder & Associates, Inc., Attn: Mark Land, PO Box 1159, Ankeny, IA 50021-0974, or e-mail Land at [email protected].