Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Floodway Vs. Floodplain

One of the first things that Engineers should do, when a client comes to them with land that they want to develop or build on, is to check if there is floodplain on the property. Floodplains represent the limits of the Base Flood Elevation or BFE and there are limits as to what can be done within these areas. The Floodplain is comprised of two parts: Regulatory Floodway and Floodplain Fringe.


What Does Base Flood Elevation Mean?

The Base Flood Elevation is equivalent to a 100-year or 1% Chance Storm event and is determined by hydrologic and hydraulic analysis. This means that the chance of having a 100-year event is 1%. This is a significant storm event and rarely occurs. The most common rainfall events are lower storm events such as a 1-Year (100% Chance), 2-Year (50% chance), and 5-year (20% chance). The higher the storm, the stronger the rainfall intensity. Rainfall intensity is the amount of rain that falls in a period of time, typically in inches/hour. For the Tulsa Area, this is around 9.0 in./hr. for a 100-year event.  While 100-year events are rare, this is the base that the vast majority of stormwater systems and floodplains are designed and modeled to, hence the name Base Flood.
 

The Regulatory Floodway

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) defines “regulatory floodway” as the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height. Typically, this designated height is 1 foot. Depending on the community you are in, this designated height, also known as freeboard, could be as little as 6 inches or even no increase allowed. You can reach out to your local government to see what is required.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a program created through the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968. The program enables property owners in participating communities to purchase insurance protection, administered by the government, against losses from flooding, and requires flood insurance for all loans or lines of credit that are secured by existing buildings, manufactured homes, or buildings under construction, that are located in the Special Flood Hazard Area (Floodplain) in a community that participates in the NFIP. The U.S. limits the availability of National Flood Insurance to communities that adopt adequate land use and control measures with effective enforcement provisions to reduce flood damages by limiting development in areas exposed to flooding.

While development is discouraged in the Floodway, it is possible. If the proposed development changes are modeled through hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and the results show that the development will not cause an increase in the base flood elevation, then development may be allowed, but this depends on the community you are in. This analysis is called a “no-rise” analysis and should be analyzed and certified by a licensed Civil Engineer.

An increase in the Base Flood Elevation is not allowed to negatively impact anyone. Even if the increase does not directly affect your property, it could be affecting someone upstream or downstream of you. The floodway is determined by mathematics and river modeling and accounts for future development in the floodway fringe, and should not be modified if possible.

Communities also will typically have restrictions on how far above the base flood the lowest floor of the building can set. Many communities have used 1 foot above the BFE, but more are changing to higher amounts. For example, Tulsa County requires finished floors to be at least 2 feet above the BFE and the City of Broken Arrow requires at least 28” above the BFE. This requirement protects buildings/structures from future BFE increases that may occur if floodways are encroached upon.

Another purpose of the floodway and floodplain fringe is to protect wetlands, reduce sedimentation, and protect wildlife and wildlife habitat. To see if there are endangered species within your project limits, go to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services for more information.
 

The Floodway Fringe

The floodway fringe is the remaining portion of the floodplain. FEMA & State regulations allow communities to allow the flood fringe to be modified and developed if certain requirements are met. These lowland areas provide additional storage for floodwaters. Flows in the floodplain fringe are slower moving and have shallow flood depths. Communities usually require Development Permits in these areas when modifications to the floodplain are proposed.

 

How Do I Know If There Is Floodplain On My Property?

To find out if there is floodplain on your property go to the FEMA Map Service Center and type in your address. Click the link provided below.
You will see a map that looks something like this:
The red hatched area is the Floodway Limits and the blue shaded area is the Floodplain limits. The black lines with elevations on them are the elevation of the Base Flood. The 500-Year or 0.2% chance limits are also shown on FEMA maps as the gold areas above, but there are currently no requirements for those limits locally. If your property falls within the red or blue shaded areas, you will need hire an engineer to apply for the appropriate permits and complete the modeling to build or grade in these areas.

Now That I Know My Property Has Floodplain On It, What Do I Do So I Can Build On It?
Depending on your property there are several different Revisions and Amendments you can fill out to send to FEMA. The differences between an amendment and a revision is mapping of the floodway/floodplain. If you believe the flood map is inaccurate, a LOMA can be filled out and submitted to FEMA to remove the property from the floodplain. Amendments do not have any fees associated with the forms. To qualify for an amendment, if the property has an existing structure, the lowest adjacent grade (the lowest ground touching the structure) must be at or above the BFE or the lowest point on the lot must be at or above the BFE.
What does that mean if you don’t meet those requirements but still want to remove floodplain from the property to build? The next step is a LOMR-F. Hydraulic modeling software is used to model the impacts of placing fill (raising the natural ground) on your property. If the results reflect “no-rise”, then the LOMR-F form is submitted to FEMA for review. If there is a rise, a CLOMR/LOMR will be required. Please note that map revisions have significant fees associated with the review and processing of these requests. The time required to go through the process can be lengthy, up to 8 months.
Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA): A letter from FEMA stating that an existing structure or parcel of land that has not been elevated by fill (natural ground) would not be inundated by the base flood. The FEMA maps may not pick up that there is a knoll that a building sets on, a detailed survey can verify that.
Conditional Letter of Map Amendment (CLOMA): A letter from FEMA stating that a proposed structure that is not to be elevated by fill (natural ground) would not be inundated by the base flood if built as proposed.
Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F): A letter from FEMA stating that an existing structure or parcel of land that has been elevated by fill would not be inundated by the base flood. But along with this, a study must be done to certify No Adverse Impact to other properties.
Conditional Letter of Map Revision Base on Fill (CLOMR-F): A letter from FEMA stating that a parcel of land or proposed structure would not be inundated by the base flood if fill is placed on the parcel as proposed or the structure is built as proposed, and as detailed in an engineering study.
Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR): A letter from FEMA stating that a proposed project, if built as proposed, or the proposed hydrology changes would meet minimum NFIP standards.
Letter of Map Revision (LOMR): A letter from FEMA officially revising the current NFIP map to show changes to floodplains, regulatory floodways, or flood elevations.
If you need help filling a Letter of Map Revision or Letter of Map Amendment or just want to discuss development options for your property which may or may not have floodplain on it, please contact us here at TEP, and we would be happy to assist you!
Stay tuned for our next blog posting on more about the NFIP, the Community Rating System (CRS), and Substantially Damaged/Substantially improved buildings within the floodplain.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Top Developers and Home Builders in the Tulsa Area


Tulsa Engineering and Planning has been in business since 1977 and in that time has completed hundreds of residential subdivisons for Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, and other surrounding areas. TEP has completed subdivisions with homes of varying prices that appeal to every home buyer.



Our clients provide homes and lots of all price ranges and sizes. Some of the home builders in our subdivisions are; Cozort Custom Homes, Capital Homes, Milestone Homes, Simmons Homes, Butler Homes and Shaw Homes.
 
 Shaw Homes & Butler homes are building in Forest Ridge, a planned community in Broken Arrow, who has been a client of TEP’s since the 1980’s. Below are new homes by Butler Homes and Shaw Homes in the most recently developed subdivision Spring Hill at Forest Ridge. 
 

819 N. 88th Street - Spring Hill, Forest Ridge, B.A., OK
$357,200

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8708 E. Iola Street - Spring Hill, Forest Ridge, Broken Arrow, OK
$283,031
Shaw Homes


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Cozort Homes is a developer and a home builder. They provide homes in the $225K and up, custom to what the home builder wants.

























736 W. 110 Pl., Haddington Heights, Jenks, OK
$459,000



Their latest subdivision is Gray Oaks in Jenks located at 141st and Harvard. Gray Oaks has half acre+ wooded lots with green belt views.
 Cozort Homes also recently completed a subdivision, Clearfield Estates, in the same area just across the street with lots for home sites in the $200K-$325K range.








 
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Capital Homes is a developer and home builder. Their most recent subdivisions include, Aspen Crossing Patio Homes, Aspen Crossing I, Chestnut Creek in Broken Arrow, and The Cottages at Mingo Crossing in Owasso.

Aspen Crossing Patio Homes and Chestnut Creek are patio home residential developments for home owners that want the luxury of owning a house but with low maintenance yards. This is a new concept to the Broken Arrow and hopes to bring younger and empty-nesters to Broken Arrow.
 

Aspen Crossing Patio Homes, Jasper St. and Aspen Ave., Broken Arrow, OK
$211,893-$224,061

The Cottages at Mingo Crossing (Owasso, OK) and Aspen Crossing I (Broken Arrow, OK) are residential developments for homes in the $192K-$234K Range.
 
 
The Cottages at Mingo Crossing, E. 106th St. N. and N. Mingo Rd., Owasso, OK
Jefferson Model
 
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Milestone Homes is a developer and home builder. Their most recent subdivisions include, Hyde Park, Haddington Heights, and their latest development Hickory Falls. Homes in Hickory Falls start in the low $300,000 range.  

 


 
719 W. 110th Pl. S., Haddington Heights, Jenks, OK
$549,000
Milestone Homes

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 Simmons homes provides homes in the $190K-$355K price range with 30+ floor plans. TEP’s latest Residential Development with Simmons homes is Park Place at Preston Lakes.
The Lorton Model
 
Contact us today and see how we can help you on your next project!

Thursday, October 3, 2019

2019 Parade of Homes Winners

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners of the 2019 Parade of Homes. Several of our clients were award winners and some of TEP's subdivisions were featured in the 2019 Parade of Homes!

 
A few of our clients featured are Cozort Custom Homes, Capital Homes, & Forest Ridge. Some of TEPs developments were also featured and include: Spring Hill at Forest Ridge, Aspen Crossing, Forest Ridge, and Haddington Heights.
 
Capital Homes also won the $190,000-$224,999 People's Choice Award.

$225,000-$259,999 First Place 2019 Parade of Homes Winner
2025 W. Huntsville Place in Aspen Crossing - A Residential Development by TEP

Best Interior Décor: Capital Homes, 2025 W. Huntsville Place, Aspen Crossing
 
TEP's longtime client of 30 Years, Forest Ridge, won the Parade of Homes 2019 Subdivision Winner Award.
 
 
We are so excited for our clients and their continued success!

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Trident Aquatic Center - Owasso's Newest Swim Center

Trident Aquatics announced in early May of 2019 that it is breaking ground on a 18,000-square-foot aquatic center in Owasso, Oklahoma. The swim center is located at the Owasso Medical Campus site, at the Hwy 169 96th Street exit. The swim facility includes two pools; a world-class eight-lane competition pool and a shallow teaching pool.


Trident has trained swimmers from around the Tulsa area since 2014 and has placed athletes at the state, regional and national levels, including the 2016 Olympic Trials! Over 65 percent of graduating athletes in their program have gone on to swim at the collegiate level, with most receiving meaningful scholarships. This is going to be an excellent amenity for Owasso and surrounding communities.

TEP is excited for the Owasso Community as this project breaks ground. As with almost every project, this project had its challenges. Even smaller projects like this one can pose civil engineering challenges. One challenge on this project was the water distribution for the site. Even though this is within the City of Owasso, the site is within the Rural Water District service area. This took communication between the City and Rural Water District, and all of us working together as a team.

Another challenge on this project was the environmental aspect. The American Burying Beetle is an endangered species that requires studies at certain times of the year to determine if they are present on a project site. The majority of the Trident site is clear but along the stream on the east side of the site, potential Burying Beetle habitat is present. This means a study needs to be completed on this portion of the site when temperatures are above a certain temperature for several days in a row. Until the site has been cleared this portion of the site is to be left undisturbed.  If the weather fluctuates, this can slow the project down significantly.

Along with endangered species, a United States Geographical Survey (USGS) stream is on site, which shows as a blue line on a USGS Quad Map. When a “blue line” is on site and any work is to be conducted within that, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) gets involved. A permit from them is needed to conduct work in the channel. As a Civil Engineer, these are things that need to be assessed upfront and completed or they will impact construction start dates significantly.
 
We are very excited for Sean Callan, Trident's Founder, and his team to open up this swim center in Owasso. It has been an honor for TEP to be a part of this project and we are excited for the City of Owasso as this will be a huge benefit for Owasso and surrounding communities! 
Follow us as we post updates as Trident moves further along! For more information about the Trident Aquatic Center, click the links below.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Broken Arrow's Premier Social Club

Have you been wondering where in Broken Arrow you could go to get a good workout in, eat some delicious food, get a facial or a massage, play a game of tennis or a round of golf, and have a drink by the pool after? Well wonder no more! On March 1st of this year, Forest Ridge opened a premier social club, The Ridge Club, to the public.

You may be thinking, “But I don’t live in Forest Ridge!” No worries! The Ridge Club is not only open to the residents at Forest Ridge but to the residents of Broken Arrow and surrounding communities as well!

With the improvements to the clubhouse comes a number of great benefits for the community. Outside features include a resort style pool, fire pit, two additional lighted tennis courts for a total of six, sand volleyball courts, bocce ball courts, pop tennis, pickle ball, and a playground. Inside the clubhouse you’ll find a Bistro, Private Member Lounge and Bar, a state-of-the art work out facility, and Stone Creek Spa.

But wait- there’s more! It wouldn’t be a social club without events, right? Right! The Ridge Club ALSO has monthly events and exercise classes! There are even tennis lessons (for both kids and adults), Tennis Camps, and several different levels of swim lessons for the kids.

TEP has had the privilege of serving the Master Planned Community of Forest Ridge since 1989, designing its’ numerous residential subdivisions around it’s award winning PGA golf course, ponds, and parks; and now TEP had the privilege of being a part of a multi-disciplined team to build The Ridge Club.


So what are you waiting for?! Click the links below to check out Forest Ridge’s website for details so you can be a part of Broken Arrow’s finest Social Club.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

World's Largest Lemonade and Ice Tea Cup

Ever seen the World's Largest Lemonade and Ice Tea Cup? Chick-fil-A has set the record with 1,100 U.S. Gallon capacity cup. We were asked as a third party to certify the cup capacity both times. The lemonade record was set on August 20, 2008. Tomorrow August 4, 2010, the record for the largest ice tea will be recorded at Nienhuis Park, Broken Arrow.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Keeping a business strong

Frustrated why things just don't work out like they used to? The way businesses used to operate based on integrity, character, and humility seems to be a thing of the past. Many businesses today are going for the quick dollar and have forgotten the mentality of taking care of the client. Just the other day, I saw the movie "Forever Strong". A great movie that has a great parrallel to keeping a business strong. The one principle that was weaved throughout the movie was this... to never do anything to bring shame or dishonor to yourself, family, friends, and team. Why would this be important to keeping a business strong? If your business conduct is one that is dishonorable and cutting corners, what does this say about you?
Your business team is comprised of many different people with varying skillsets and your clients. Enabling your team to work effeciently in an environment of high standards and character is a start. Your team is as strong as its weakest member. Strengthen, encourage, and lead by example. Take the first steps to change your business and be forever strong by never doing anything to bring shame to yourself, family, friends, and team.
Forever Strong!