State DNRC presents early floodplain updates for Livingston; funding and levee certification will shape final maps

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation told the Livingston City Commission on July 15 that updated flood study work for Park County and the city of Livingston is largely complete but that the mapping process faces funding uncertainty and technical steps that will determine which properties are shown as being in the 100‑year floodplain.

Nadine Wadsworth, a state mapping specialist with DNRC, said the study team has finished lidar, hydrology and in‑stream survey work, and has delivered a flood‑history report and the hydrology used for engineer modeling. She said the maps shown to the commission reflect two different outcomes for areas behind the city’s levee: one “worst case” if the levee cannot be certified, and one if the city can certify the levee and the area is removed from Yellowstone River flooding.

"Anywhere you see that blue ... is considered the hundred year, that 1 percent annual chance," Wadsworth told the commission. She explained that properties in that blue zone would likely face lender requirements for federally backed flood insurance and would be subject to floodplain permitting if owners develop the property.

Why it matters

Wadsworth emphasized that levee…