BASE LEVEL ENGINEERING

Win-Win Scenario: Floodplain Management for Oil and Gas driven development using Base Level Engineering Data

Alan Johnson, FEMA Region 6Sarada Kalikivaya, STARR II

ROGER MILLS COUNTY -OKLAHOMA

• Introduction to Base Level Engineering (BLE)

• Project Area

• Background and Local Economy

• Data need for Permitting

• Data Produced

• Data Distribution

• Data Uses

• Summary

Agenda

Measuring stick to allow FEMA to assess its current flood maps.

Cursory engineering analysis to provide predicted areas of flood risk.

Flood risk data that provides a platform for broader risk communications.

Engineering modeling that may be used and leveraged by local communities to review effect of development in and around the floodplain.

What is Base Level Engineering?

Project Area – Roger Mills County, OK

General Characteristics

• Impacted by 3 HUC8 Watersheds

• 1,146 sq miles Area

• 14 Communities

• 3,743 Residents –as of 2013

Current Effective Study

• 18 Years old effective data

No Base Flood

Elevation

available

Project Area – Roger Mills County, OK

Floodplain Permitting

Federal Requirements by NFIP

• All development in the floodplains must be regulated as per 44CFR

• Development is defined as any man-

made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving,

excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials (44CFR 59.1)

State Requirements

• STATE LAW: OS 82 Section 1614

• Floodplain permitting for the Oil and Gas industry must not place undue hardship on a business that is often required to be in the floodplain.

Project Area – Local Economy – Oil and Gas

Oil & Gas Economy– Data Needs

Why is it important to regulate the oil and gas industry in floodplains?

Oil & Gas Economy– Data Needs

Why is it important to support to regulate the oil and gas industry in floodplains?

• No standard equipments for production

• Safety Concerns• Poisonous Gas

• Chemical Spills

• Electrical Equipment

• Potential explosive atmosphere

Oil & Gas Economy– Data Needs

Oil and Gas Equipment in Floodplains

Drilling Rig

Compressor

Pump Jack

Without data, how can communities make informed decisions?

Oil & Gas Economy– Data Needs

Solution to no Base Flood Elevations

What will communities receive? Flood Risk Datasets to provide better interaction

Base Level Engineering is a Mindset

▸Scalable models allow communities to

maintain the inventory.

Base Level Engineering

Limited Detail Study

Detailed Study

Detailed w/ Floodway

Suggesting a Minimum Coverage

Higher Standards

Possibilities

Freeboard Grids

Base Level Engineering Unlocking the Power of the BLE Datasets

Practical Uses for Flood Risk Products

Interactive viewer will be open to the public:

www.InFRM.us/estBFE

• View Data

• Download

• Property Lookup

Estimated Base Flood Elevation Viewer

“What is the Base Flood Elevation WITHIN the predicted floodplain for the

1% annual chance event?”

1

2

3

WWW.INFRM.US/ESTBFE

Data Download

20

Public outreach and communication

Updating local mitigation plans

Taking mitigation action

Community planning

Response and recovery

Base Level Engineering

Unlocking the Power of the BLE Datasets

▸The REAL power comes from combining with

local data – parcels, buildings, and critical

facilities!

Questions?

Questions?