Flood Hazard Mitigation

Flood Mitigation Overview

In recent years, multiple flood events in the New York City Watershed West of the Hudson River have prompted emergency response programs to repair roads and other infrastructure, remove stream debris and assist homeowners and businesses in the weeks and months immediately following a natural disaster.

The long term goal of the Flood Hazard Mitigation Implementation Program (the “Program”) is to supplement existing sources of funding for structural and nonstructural projects to improve the flood resilience of communities located within the boundaries of the New York City water-supply watershed, west of the Hudson River. Repeated flood damage endangers residents and degrades regional water quality, and challenges Watershed communities in their efforts to achieve economic stability and sustainability. Projects supported by this Program will assist in preventing and mitigating flooding impacts.

Working with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), county Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and other agencies, the CWC is a key player in a suite of programs intended to help property owners prepare for the next flood.

Local Flood Analysis Projects

Most mitigation projects — property protection measures, floodplain reclamation, public infrastructure protection and property buyout/relocation — must be identified through a Local Flood Analysis (LFA). These have been conducted in Watershed municipalities by consultants funded by the DEP’s Stream Management Program or consultants engaged through other flood response programs. Municipalities with completed LFAs, or individuals with property in LFA areas, may apply to the CWC for funds to implement projects recommended in those analyses.

Relocation Assistance

The Sustainable Communities Planning Program is intended to fund revisions to local zoning codes or maps or to upgrade comprehensive plans in order to identify areas within a municipality that can serve as a new location for residences and/or businesses to be moved after purchase under the voluntary NYC Flood Buyout Program. Grants up to $20,000 are available through this program, which is part of the Local Technical Assistance Program.

Local Technical Assistance

Local Technical Assistance Program ( LTAP) was established in 2005. This program encouraged development of community planning initiatives in the West-of-Hudson Watershed. Over the next several years, municipal comprehensive plans, zoning updates, open space studies, economic revitalization plans and generic environmental impact statements were completed with LTAP grants. The program’s rules were revised in 2014 to provide planning grants to communities to help identify new locations for homes and businesses being purchased through the voluntary NYC Flood Buyout Program. Grants up to $20,000 are available to municipalities that have adopted Local Flood Analyses.

Tank Anchoring

Home and business owners in designated flood hazard areas within the WOH Watershed may apply to get their propane and fuel oil tanks anchored to prevent the health and environmental effects of spills during flood events. Oil tanks of up to 330 gallons and propane tanks of up to 420 pounds are eligible for this protective treatment if they are within 500-year flood elevations anywhere in the five-county Catskill-Delaware Watershed. Larger commercial propane tanks are also eligible for this service but require engineered designs and individual funding approvals from the CWC Board of Directors. The CWC will cover the entire cost of anchoring tanks within basements or outdoors.

More Information

For more information on flood hazard mitigation programs and related stream projects, visit www.catskillstreams.org.