§ 13½-10. Definitions.

Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this chapter it's most reasonable application.

A-Zones are found on all flood hazard boundary maps (FHBMs), flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs), and flood boundary and floodway maps (FBFMs). An A-Zone is an area that would be flooded by the Base Flood and is the same as a special flood hazard area (SFHA) or a 100-year floodplain. These areas may be unnumbered as AE, AH, or AO Zones. Numbered A-Zones indicate an area's risk to flooding.

Alluvial fan flooding means flooding occurring on the surface of an alluvial fan or similar landform which originates at the apex and is characterized by high velocity flows; active processes of erosion, sediment transport, and deposition; and unpredictable flow paths.

Amortization period is the length of time used to repay a debt or mortgage or to depreciate an initial cost.

Amortization rate is the price or rate of premium per unit of time that is paid by a borrower for repayment of a debt or mortgage or by a purchaser to depreciate an initial cost.

Anchor is a series of methods used to secure a structure to its footings or foundation wall so that it will not be displaced by flood or wind forces.

Appeal means a request for a review of the floodplain administrator's interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a variance.

Area of shallow flooding means a designated AO, AH, or VO Zone on a community's flood insurance rate map (FIRM) with a one (1) percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one (1) to three (3) feet, where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable, and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.

Area of special flood hazard is an area having special flood, mudslide (i.e. mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards, as shown on a FHBM or FIRM as Zone A, AOA, A1-30, AE, A99, AH, VO, V1-30, VE, V, M, or E.

Backwater effect is the rise in water surface elevation caused by some obstruction such as a narrow bridge opening, buildings, or fill materials that limits the area through which the water must flow. Also referred to as "heading up".

Base flood is a term used in the National Flood Insurance Program to indicate the minimum size flood to be used by a community as a basis for its floodplain management regulations; currently required by regulation to be that flood which has a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Also known as a 100-year flood or one-percent chance flood.

Base flood elevation (BFE) is the elevation for which there is a one-percent chance in any given year that flood levels will equal or exceed it. The BFE is determined by statistical analysis for each local area and designated on the flood insurance rate maps. It is also known as the 100-year flood elevation.

Base floodplain is the floodplain that would be inundated by a one-percent chance (100- year) flood.

Basement is any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.

Basin is the total area from which surface runoff is carried away by a drainage system. Other comparable terms are "drainage area," "catchment area," and "watershed."

Berm is a bank or mound of earth, usually placed against a foundation wall.

Breakaway wall is a wall that is not part of the structural support of the building and is intended through its design and construction to collapse under specific lateral loading forces, without causing damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system. Breakaway walls are required by NFIP regulations in coastal high-hazard areas (V-Zones) and are recommended in areas where flood waters could flow at significant velocities (usually greater than four (4) feet per second) or could contain ice or other debris.

Building code is the regulations adopted by a governing body setting forth standards for the construction, addition, modification, and repair of buildings and other structures for the purpose of protecting the health, safety, and general welfare of the public.

Channel is a natural or artificial watercourse with definite bed and banks to confine and conduct flowing water.

Channel capacity is the maximum flow that can pass through a channel without overflowing the banks.

Check valve is a type of valve that allows water to flow one way, but automatically closes when water attempts to flow the opposite direction.

Closure is a shield made of strong material, such as steel, aluminum, or plywood, used to temporarily fill in gaps in floodwalls, levees, or sealed structures that have been left open for day-to-day convenience at entrances such as doors and driveways.

Coastal high-hazard area means an area of special flood hazard extending from offshore to the inland limit of a primary frontal dune along an open coast and any other area subject to high velocity wave action from storms or seismic sources.

Community means any state or area or political subdivision thereof, or any Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or Alaska Native Village or authorized native organization, which has the authority to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations for the areas within its jurisdiction.

Critical feature means an integral and readily identifiable part of a flood protection system, without which the flood protection provided by the entire system would be compromised.

Cross section is a graph or plot of ground elevation across a stream valley or a portion of it, usually along a line perpendicular to the stream or direction of flow.

Debris impact loads are sudden loads induced on a structure by debris carried by flood water. Though difficult to predict, allowances for impact loads must be made when floodproofing a structure.

Designated floodway is the channel of a stream and that portion of the adjoining floodplain designated by a regulatory agency to be kept free of further development to provide for unobstructed passage of flood flows.

Design flood is commonly used to mean the magnitude of flood used for design and operation of flood control structures or other protective measures. It is sometimes used to denote the magnitude of flood used in floodplain regulations.

Development means any man-made change in improved and unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or of equipment or materials.

Dry floodproofing is a method used to design and construct buildings so as to prevent the entrance of floodwaters.

Elevated building means a non basement building built, in the case of a building in Zones A1-30, AE, A, A99, AO, AH, B, C, X, and D, to have the top of the elevated floor, or in the case of a building in Zones V1-30, VE or V, to have the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member of the elevated floor elevated above the ground level by means of pilings, columns (posts and piers) or shear walls parallel to the flow of the water and adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity of the building during a flood of up to the magnitude of the base flood. In the case of Zones A1-30, AE, A, A99, AO, AH, B, C, X or D, "elevated building" also includes a building elevated by means of fill or solid foundation perimeter walls with openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movement of floodwaters. In the case of Zones V1-30, VE or V, "elevated building" also includes a building otherwise meeting the definition of "elevated building," even though the lower area is enclosed by means of breakaway walls if the breakaway walls meet the standards of Section 60.3(e)(5) of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations.

Elevation is the placement of a structure above flood level to minimize or prevent flood damages.

Emergency Flood Insurance Program or emergency program means the program as implemented on an emergency basis in accordance with Section 1336 of the Act. It is intended as a program to provide a first layer amount of insurance on all insurable structures before the effective date of the initial FIRM.

Enabling statute is state law that transfers some of the police power residing in the state to localities within if for the purposes of zoning, subdivision, regulations, building codes and the like.

Encroachment is any physical object placed in a floodplain that hinders the passage of water or otherwise affects flood flows, such as landfills or buildings.

Erosion means the process of the gradual wearing away of land masses. This peril is not per se covered under the program.

Existing construction means, for the purposes of determining rates, structures for which the "start of construction" commenced before the effective date of the FIRM or before January 1, 1975, for FIRMs effective before the date. "Existing construction" may also be referred to as "existing structures."

Extended foundation is the construction of additional wall above existing foundation walls in order to elevate a structure above flood levels.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the agency created in 1979 to provide a single point of accountability for all federal activities related to disaster mitigation, emergency preparedness, response and recover.

Federal Insurance Administration (FIA) is the government unit, a part of FEMA that administers the National Flood Insurance Program.

Fill is material such as earth, clay, or crushed stone that is dumped in an area and compacted to increase ground elevation.

Flash flood is a flood that crests in a short length of time and is often characterized by high velocity flow. It is often the result of heavy rainfall in a localized area.

Flood or flooding means:

(a)

A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:

(1)

The overflow of inland or tidal waters.

(2)

The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

(3)

Mudslides (i.e., mudflows) which are proximately caused by flooding as defined in paragraph (a)(2) of this definition and are akin to a river of liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water and deposited along the path of the current.

(b)

The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a natural body of water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an unanticipated force of nature, such as flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined in paragraph (a)(1) of this definition.

Flood boundary floodway map (FBFM) is a map that may be included with a Flood Insurance Study printed prior to 1986. It identifies the floodway and, along with the study provides the technical basis for floodplain management regulations.

Flood control is keeping flood waters away from specific developments or populated areas by the construction of flood storage reservoirs, channel alternations, dikes and levees, by pass channels, or other engineering works.

Flood crest is the maximum stage or elevation reached or expected to be reached by the waters of a specific flood at a given location.

Flood disaster assistance includes development of comprehensive, preparedness and recovery plans, program capabilities, and organization of federal agencies and of state and local governments to mitigate the adverse effects of disastrous floods. It may include maximum hazard reduction, avoidance, and mitigation measures, as well as policies, procedures, and eligibility criteria for Federal grant or loan assistance to state and local governments, private organizations, or individuals as the result of the major disaster.

Flood duration is the length of time a stream is above flood stage or overflowing its banks.

Flood fighting [means] action taken immediately before or during a flood to protect human life and to reduce flood damages such as evacuation, emergency sandbagging, sand diking, and provision of assistance to flood victims.

Flood forecasting [means] the process of predicting the occurrence, magnitude, and duration of an imminent flood through meteorological and hydrological observations and analysis.

Flood frequency [means] a statistical expression of the average time period between floods equaling or exceeding a given magnitude. For example, a 100-year flood has a magnitude expected to be equaled or exceeded on the average of once every hundred (100) years: such a flood has one (1) percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Often used interchangeably with recurrence interval.

Flood fringe [means] that portion of the floodplain that lies beyond the floodway and serves as a temporary storage area for flood waters during a flood. This section receives waters that are shallower and of lower velocities than those of the floodway.

Flood hazard is the potential for inundation and involves the risk of life, health, property, and natural value. Two references base are commonly used: (1) For most situations, the base flood is that flood which has one percent chance of being exceeded in any given year (also known as the 100-year flood); (2) for critical actions, an activity for which a one percent chance of flooding would be too great, at a minimum the base flood is that flood which has a 0.2 percent chance of being exceeded in any given year (also known as the 500-year flood).

Flood hazard boundary map (FHBM) means an official map of a community, issued by the administrator, where the boundaries of the flood, mudslide (i.e., mudflow) related erosion areas having special hazards have been designated as Zones A, M, and/or E.

Flood insurance rate map (FIRM) means an official map of a community on which the Administrator has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.

Flood insurance rate zone is a zone identified on a flood insurance rate map (FIRM) as subject to a specified degree of flood, mudslide (mudflow), or flood-related erosion hazards, to which a particular set of actuarial rates and floodplain management requirements applies.

Flood insurance study (FIS) or flood elevation study means an examination, evaluation and determination of flood hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations, or an examination, evaluation and determination of mudslide (i.e. mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards and is the official report provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The report contains flood profiles, water surface elevation of the base flood, as well as the flood boundary-floodway map.

Flood protection system means those physical structural works for which funds have been authorized, appropriated, and expended, and which have been constructed specifically to modify flooding in order to reduce the extent of the areas within a community subject to a "special flood hazard" and the extent of the depths of associated flooding. Such a system typically includes hurricane tidal barriers, dams, reservoirs, levees or dikes. These specialized flood-modifying works are those constructed in conformance with sound engineering standards.

Floodplain or flood-prone area means any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source (see definition of "flooding").

Floodplain management is the operation of an overall program of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage, including but not limited to emergency preparedness plans, flood control works and floodplain management regulations.

Floodplain preservation is the prevention or modification of the natural floodplain environment or maintenance of the floodplain environment in a condition as close as possible to its natural state using all practicable means.

Floodplain management regulations means zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as flood plain ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance) and other applications of police power. The term describes such state or local regulations, in any combination thereof, which provide standards for the purpose of flood damage prevention and reduction.

Floodplain restoration is the reestablishment of a setting or environment in which the natural functions of the floodplain can again operate.

Floodplain values are those natural and beneficial attributes associated with the relatively undisturbed state of the floodplain and includes values primarily associated with water, living, and cultural resources.

Flood profile is a graph showing the relationship of water surface elevation to a specific location, the latter generally expressed as distance above the mouth of a stream of water flowing in an open channel. It is generally drawn to show surface elevations for the crest of a specific magnitude of flooding, but may be prepared for conditions at any given time or stage.

Floodproofing is any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents.

Floodwall is a constructed barrier of resistant material, such as concrete or masonry block, designed to keep water away from a structure.

Floodway (regulatory floodway) means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height.

Flood warning is the issuance and dissemination of information about an imminent or current flood.

Flood zones are zones on the flood insurance rate map (FIRM) in which the risk premium insurance rates have been established by a flood insurance study (FIS).

Zone symbols:

A	Area of special flood hazard without water surface elevations determined.
A1-30, AE	Area of special flood hazard with water surface elevations determined.
AO	Area of special flood hazard having shallow water depths and/or unpredictable flow paths between one (1) and three (3) feet.
A-99	Area of special flood hazard where enough progress has been made on a protective system, such as dikes, dams, and levees, to consider it complete for insurance rating purposes.
AH	Area of special flood hazard having shallow water depths and/or predictable flow paths between one (1) and three (3) feet and with water surface elevations determined.
B, X	Area of moderate flood hazard.
C, X	Area of minimal hazard.
D	Area of undetermined but possible flood hazard.

 

Footing is the enlarged base of a foundation wall, pier, or column, designed to spread the load of the structure so that it does not exceed the soil bearing capacity.

Foundation is the underlying structure of a building, usually constructed of concrete that supports the foundation walls, piers, or columns.

Foundation walls are the support structure of a building that connects the foundation to the main portion of the building or superstructure.

Freeboard means a factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood level for purposes of floodplain management. Freeboard tends to compensate for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions, such as wave action, bridge openings, and the hydrological effects of urbanization of the watershed.

Functionally dependent use means a use which cannot perform its intended purpose unless it is located or carried out in close proximity to water. The term includes only docking facilities, port facilities that are necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, and ship building and ship repair facilities, but does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.

Groundwater recharge is the infiltration of water into the earth. It may increase the total amount of water stored underground or only replenish supplies depleted through pumping or natural discharge.

Habitable floor means any floor usable for the following purposes; which include working, sleeping, eating, cooking or recreation, or a combination thereof. A floor used for storage purposes only is not a "habitable floor."

Highest adjacent grade means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.

Human intervention is the required presence and active involvement of people to enact floodproofing or retrofitting measures prior to flooding.

Hydrodynamic loads are forces imposed on structures by floodwaters due to the impact of moving water.

Hydrograph is a graph that charts the passage of water as a function of time. It shows flood stages, depicted in feet above mean sea level or gage height, plotted against stated time intervals.

Hydrology is the science of the behavior of water in the atmosphere, on the earth's surface, and underground.

Hydrostatic loads are forces imposed on an object, such as a structure, by standing water.

Impact loads are loads induced by the collision of solid objects on a structure carried by floodwater. Debris can include trees, lumber, displaced sections of structures, tanks, runaway boats, and chunks of ice. Debris impact loads are difficult to predict accurately, yet reasonable allowances must be made for them in the design of potentially affected structures.

Infiltration is the flow of fluid into a substance through pores or small openings. The work is commonly used to denote the flow of water into soil.

Interior grade beam is a section of a floor slab that has a thicker section of concrete to act as a footing to provide stability under load-bearing or critical structural walls.

Levee means a man-made structure, usually an earthen embankment, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control or divert the flow of water so as to provide protection from temporary flooding.

Levee system means a flood-protection system which consists of a levee, or levees, and associated structures, such as closure and drainage devices, which are constructed and operated in accordance with sound engineering practices.

Level of protection is the greatest flood level against which a protective measure is designed to be fully effective.

Lift is a layer of soil that is compacted before the next layer is added in the construction of a fill pad or levee.

Lowest floor means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than a basement area, is not considered a building's lowest floor; provided, that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable non-elevation design requirement of Section 60.3 of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations.

Manufactured home means a structure transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. For floodplain management purposes, the term "manufactured home" also includes park trailers, travel trailers and other similar vehicles placed on a site for greater than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days. For insurance purposes, the term "manufactured home" does not include park trailers, travel trailers, and other similar recreational vehicles.

Mean sea level means, for purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program, the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 or other datum to which base flood elevations shown on a community's flood insurance rate map are referenced.

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), [means] the federal program, created by an Act of Congress in 1968 that makes flood insurance available in communities that enact satisfactory floodplain management regulations.

New construction means structures for which the "start of construction" on or after the effective date of a floodplain management regulation adopted by a community and includes any subsequent improvement to such structures.

Nonstructural floodplain management measures are those measures, such as floodproofing, employed to modify the exposure of buildings to floods and use planning, warning schemes, and insurance as opposed to structural measures (such as dams, levees, and channel modifications).

Non-velocity coastal flood area is any area that is subject to inundation by tidal waters that has lower velocity or wave components than a coastal high hazard area.

One hundred (100)-year flood is the flood elevation that has a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. It is also known as the base flood.

Permeability is the property of soil or rock that allows water to pass through it.

Pier is an upright support member of a building, with a height limited to a maximum of three (3) times its least lateral dimension. It is designed and constructed to function as an independent structural element in supporting and transmitting building and environmental loads to the ground.

Pile is an upright support member of a building, usually long and slender in shape, driven into the ground by mechanical means and primarily supported by friction between the pile and the surrounding earth. Piles often cannot act as individual support units, and require bracing to other pilings.

Posts are a long upright support units for a building that are set in pre-dug holes and backfilled with compacted material. Each post usually requires bracing to other units. They are also known as columns, although they are usually made of wood.

Primary cost is the cost of providing the basic flood proofing feature- elevation, flood shield, floodwall, or levee.

Probable maximum flood is the most severe flood that may be expected from a combination of the most critical meteorological and hydrological conditions that are reasonably possible in the drainage basin. It is used in designing high-risk flood protection works and siting of structures and facilities that must be subject to almost no risk of flooding. The probable maximum flood is usually much larger than the 100-year flood.

Profile is a graph or plot of the water surface elevation against distance along a channel. Also termed flood profile if drawn for a specific flood or level of flooding.

Recurrence interval is a statistical expression of the average time between floods equaling or exceeding a given magnitude (see flood frequency).

Regulatory flood datum is an established plane of reference from which elevation and depth of flooding may be determined for specific locations of the floodplain. It is the base flood plus a freeboard factor of safety established for each particular area that tends to compensate for the many unknown and incalculable factors that could contribute to greater flood heights than that computed for a base flood.

Regulatory floodplain is that portion of the floodplain subject to floodplain regulations (usually the floodplain inundated by the one-percent chance flood).

Regulatory floodway means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height.

Regular program means the program authorized by the Act under which risk premium rates are required for the first half of available coverage (also known as "first layer" coverage) for all new construction and substantial improvements started on or after the effective date of the FIRM, or after December 31, 1974, for FIRM's effective on or before that date.

Relocation is the moving of a structure from a flood area to anew location, normally to one where there is no threat of flooding.

Reservoir is a natural or artificially created pond, lake, or other space used for storage, regulation, or control of water. May be either permanent or temporary.

Retrofitting are floodproofing measures taken on an existing structure.

Riprap are broken stone, cut stone blocks, or rubble that is placed on slopes to protect them from erosion or scouring caused by flood waters or wave action.

Riverine means relating to, formed by, or resembling a river (including tributaries), stream, brook, etc.

Runoff is that portion of precipitation that is not intercepted by vegetation, absorbed by the land surface, or evaporated, and thus flows overland into a depression, stream, lake, or ocean (runoff, called immediate subsurface runoff, also takes place in the upper layers of the soil).

Scouring is the erosion, or washing away, of slopes or soil by velocity waters.

Seepage is the passage of water or other fluid through a porous medium, such as the passage of water through an earth embankment or masonry wall.

Slab on grade is a structural design where the first floor sits directly on a poured concrete slab that sits directly on the ground.

Special hazard area means an area having special flood, mudslide(i.e., mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards, as shown on a FHBM or FIRM as Zone A, AOA, A1-30, AE, A99, AH, VO, V1-30, VE, V, M, or E.

Standard project flood is a term used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to designate a flood that may be expected from the most severe combination of meteorological and hydrological conditions that is considered reasonably characteristic of the geographical area in which the drainage basin is located, excluding extremely rare combinations. The peak flow for a standard project flood is generally forty (40) to sixty (60) percent of the probable maximum flood for the same location.

State coordinating agency means the agency of the state government, or other office designated by the governor of the state or by state statute at the request of the administrator to assist in the implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program in that state.

Stile means a set of stairs to allow access over an obstruction, such as floodwall.

Start of construction (for other than new construction or substantial improvements under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (Pub. L. 97-348)) includes substantial improvement and means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, placement or other improvement was within one hundred eighty (180) days of the permit date. The actual start means either the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of slab or footings, the installation of piles, the construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation. Permanent construction does not include land preparation, such as clearing, grading and filling; nor does it include the installation of streets and/or walkways; nor does it include excavation for basements, footings, piers or foundations or the erection of temporary forms; nor does it include the installation on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure.

Stream is a body of water flowing in natural surface channel. Flow may be continuous or only during wet periods. Streams that flow only during wet periods are termed "intermittent streams"

Structural mat slab is the concrete slab of a building that includes structural reinforcement to help support the building's structure.

Structural floodplain management measures are those physical or engineering measures employed to modify the way floods behave; examples include dams, dikes, levees, channel enlargements, and diversions.

Structure means a walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground and affixed to a permanent site, as well as a manufactured home.

Subdivision regulations are ordinances or regulations governing the subdivision of land with respect to things such as adequacy and suitability of building sites and utilities and public facilities.

Subsidence is the sinking of land surface, usually due to withdrawals of underground water, oil, or minerals.

Subsidized rates means the rules established by the administrator involving in the aggregate a subsidization by the Federal Government.

Substantial improvement means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or other improvement of a structure, which equals or exceeds fifty (50) percent of the market value of the structure before the "start of construction" of the improvement. This term includes structures which have incurred "substantial damage," regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either: (1) Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions or (2) Any alteration of a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places or a state inventory of historic places provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a "historic structure."

Under seepage is seepage along the bottom of a structure, floodwall, or levee, or through the layer of earth beneath it.

Variance means a grant of relief by a community from the terms of a floodplain management regulation. (For full requirements, see Section 60.6 of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations.)

Venting is a system designed to allow flood waters to enter an enclosure, usually the interior of a foundation walls, so that the rising water does not create a dangerous differential in hydrostatic pressure. This is usually achieved through small openings in the wall, such as a missing or rotated brick or concrete block or small pipe.

Violation means the failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community's floodplain management regulations. A structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications or other evidence of compliance required in Section 60.3(b)(5), (c)(4), (c)(10), (d)(3), (e)(2), (e)(4) or (e)(5) of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.

Watercourse is a natural or artificial channel in which a flow of water occurs either continually or intermittently.

Watershed is an area that drains to a single point. In a natural basin, this is the area contributing flow to a given place or stream.

Water surface elevation means the height, in relation to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 (or other datum, where specified), of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of coastal or riverine areas.

Water table is the uppermost zone of water saturation in the ground.

Wetlands are areas that are inundated or saturated at a frequency and for a duration sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetative or aquatic life requiring saturated or seasonally saturated soil conditions for growth and reproduction.

Zoning ordinance is an ordinance under the state or local government's police power that divides an area into districts and, within each district, regulates the use of land and buildings, height and bulk of buildings or other structures, and the density of population.

(Ord. No. 05-39, § 1, 11-15-2005)