Flood Management Program Lowers Insurance Rates for Wisconsin Village

Many of the 1,049 residents of Elm Grove, Wisconsin will receive a 20 percent reduction on their flood insurance as a reward for the community's floodplain management system. The discount, announced the week of October 2 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the only such award to be handed out in the state.

The National Flood Insurance Program rewards participating communities whose flood management standards exceed those set by the program's Community Rating System. With a rating of 6 on the scale, Elm Grove residents in the floodplain qualify for the 20 percent discount with those outside the hazard area slated for discounts of 5 to 10 percent.

FEMA spokesman Butch Kinerney described Elm Grove as a "progressive" community in regard to its floodplain management. Of all the communities participating in the rating systems, only 8 percent rated as highly as Elm Grove. "It just means that they're going to go above and beyond what's on the current regulations," said Kinerney. "It's kind of like extra-credit homework."

Severe flooding in the late 1990s led Elm Grove to begin the process of reviewing and improving its flood management system. Those improvements have amounted to expenditures totaling $13 million.

Dave De Angelis, Elm Grove Village Manager said, "Trying to work with that program to lower people's flood insurance . . . was a definite goal of the village trustees, and it's something that we've worked pretty diligently at since entering the program.

Elm Grove bought properties in the floodplain and removed structures for the purpose of retaining floodwaters and to enhance the amount of native foliage in place. Additionally the village enlarged the pond in the local park from 2.8 acres to 9 acres with the dirt removed going to a sledding hill and elevated soccer fields. During a heavy rain event the excess water can safely pool in the pond which is dry the majority of the time.

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