Levee Accreditation

FEMA is changing its Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) from paper maps to digital maps. The end product will be Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). Insurance companies will set their rates based on these maps. Local communities also will use the DFIRMs for floodplain development enforcement.

This map modernization is being done on a county-by-county basis. For the updated DFIRMs to continue to recognize levees as providing flood protection to the communities, the levees must be certified by their owner and accredited by FEMA.

The levees must show they can withstand a 100-year flood, which means an event that has a 1-percent chance of occurring in any given year. FEMA refers to this event as the Base Flood. The levee accreditation requirements are spelled out in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 44-65.10.

The levee owner must provide data, drawings, and analyses for each section of the levee that show that the levee meets the standards in 44CFR 65.10 A professional engineer must certify the document containing the data and analyses.

FEMA allows for levees to be provisionally accredited for two years while the levee owner completes the certification activities if preliminary information shows the levees have no major flaws to begin with.

FEMA will evaluate the certified levee data submitted by the levee owner and determine whether the levee is accredited.

Accreditation is not a guarantee of performance. It is intended to provide updated information for insurance and floodplain development purposes.

The Miami Conservancy District (MCD) owns levees in communities in Butler, Warren, Miami and Montgomery counties.

Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) agreements
A levee owner seeking accreditation must apply to FEMA for a Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) designation to begin the accreditation process.

To qualify for a PAL, levee owners must provide information about the design, construction and maintenance of the levee, including submitting the current Operation, Maintenance and Inspection (OMI) manual.

If FEMA determines that there is sufficient evidence that the levee can be accredited, the levee owner and the community execute PAL agreements with FEMA. If a levee needs repairs, a PAL agreement cannot be executed.

The PAL allows the levee owner two years to perform the analysis and gather the data necessary for levee accreditation while FEMA is updating the DFIRMs.

MCD and six of its levee-protected cities have executed PAL agreements with FEMA:

Butler County
City of Middletown, PAL agreement signed July 2, 2008. Reports submitted prior to July 2, 2010 due date.

City of Hamilton, PAL agreement signed July 2, 2008. Reports submitted prior to July 2, 2010 due date.

Warren County
City of Franklin, PAL agreement signed October 23, 2008. Report submitted prior to the October 23, 2010 deadline.

Miami County
City of Piqua, PAL agreement signed September 2, 2009. Report submitted prior to September 2, 2011 deadline.

City of Troy, PAL agreement signed September 2, 2009. Report submitted prior to September 2, 2011 deadline.

City of Tipp City, PAL agreement signed September 2, 2009. Report submitted prior to September 2, 2011 deadline.

Montgomery County
Montgomery county maps were updated in 2004. MCD has levees in five Montgomery County cities – Huber Heights, Dayton, Moraine, West Carrollton, and Miamisburg.

Summary of Requirements
Each levee system must meet different requirements.

| Fact Sheet: Requirements for Mapping Levees (100KB) |