PUBLIC NOTICE
Pursuant to Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management) and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) implementing regulations at Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 9, FEMA hereby provides final notice of its decision to provide Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding for an action located in a floodplain. Funding would be provided through the State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to the City of Danbury for the emergency generator upgrades project.
The project is to install seventeen (17) standby generators throughout Danbury, Connecticut, which would provide residents with a reliable source of water during power outages. The proposed work at five (5) locations (Delay Street, Backus Avenue, Beaver Brook, Padanarum High School, and Thorpe Street) would take place within the floodplain – the remaining project sites are located outside of the floodplain.
Backus Avenue, Beaver Brook, and Padanarum High School pump stations are located within a mapped special flood hazard area (100-year floodplain). These generators and their components would be protected to the 0.2 percent chance (500-year) flood level or above the BFE, or to any higher state/local standard. Maps of the areas are available upon request.
The Delay Street pump station is located in a mapped special flood hazard area (500-year floodplain). The generator and its components would be protected to the 0.2 percent chance (500- year) flood level, or to any higher state/local standard. A map of the area is available upon request. The Thorpe Street pump station is located within a regulatory floodway (Zone AE). The generator and its components would be elevated to the 0.2 percent chance (500-year) flood level (or to any higher state/local standard), and the design would use an elevation method that would allow water to pass (e.g., open platform), including breakaway panels, or another method that would allow the flow of water below the generator.
The project must in be in a floodplain because the pump stations are pre-existing and relocating them is nether practicable nor cost-effective, and could have adverse health and safety impacts on the community. Alternatives considered include the no action alternative, generator rentals, and replacement of generators in-kind; however, these were not considered to be feasible nor effective. Grant conditions will also require compliance with all federal, state and local laws, including coordination with the local floodplain administrator.
Map requests and comments about this project and potential floodplain impacts should be submitted within 15 days of the date of this publication to:
Kari Elkins, Environmental Protection Specialist Federal Emergency Management Agency, Boston, MA kari.elkins@fema.dhs.gov; (256) 343-357