Whitefish flood map amended near Cow Creek

Whitefish City Council Sept. 21 approved amendments to the Whitefish flood-plain regulations and new flood insurance rate maps for the city.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation recently completed a flood-plain map update that began in 2011.

The areas around Whitefish that were studied included 1.6 miles of Cow Creek upstream from the confluence of the Whitefish River; 4 miles of Whitefish River from Highway 40 upstream to Spokane Avenue; and refinement of surrounding areas such as Lost Coon Lake, Blanchard Lake and smaller tributaries.

City Planner Bailey Minnich told council the area around Cow Creek had the most changes.

“A lot of it was removed from the 100-year flood plain,” she said. “That should lessen the insurance impact on some homeowners.”

Minnich said in some of the areas the change meant that the flood-plain shrunk to be roughly in line with the bank of the creek.

The city’s culverts under Second Street near Cow Creek have just been completed so weren’t included in the revision. She said once those are added as an update to the map the flood plain in that area will become smaller.

She said because the Whitefish River already had good data about its flood-plain the updates just further refine that information.

Minnich said the flood plain area around Lost Coon Lake is smaller following the update.

Draft maps and flood data was completed two years ago. The preliminary revised maps and flood insurance study were released in April 2014.

Changes include an amendment to the flood-plain regulations. This includes adding a chapter that will allow for the waiver of flood-plain development permit for certain activities within the Whitefish Lake and Lakeshore Protection Zone. Another amendment includes a new appendix that lists the current flood insurance rate map and study.