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City planning staff say watershed master plan will be presented for adoption next month to help Cape Coral lower flood insurance class
Summary
Planning staff updated council on a comprehensive Watershed Master Plan developed with Florida Atlantic University to support flood mitigation, resilience and the city—s Community Rating System (CRS) application; staff said they will bring a resolution to adopt the plan next month to help reach CRS Class 4.
Wyatt Daltrey of the Planning Division briefed the committee on the Watershed Master Plan prepared with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) under a grant from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) funded by FEMA.
Daltrey said the Watershed Master Plan inventory and modeling work is largely complete and staff intends to bring a resolution for adoption next month. He told council the plan—s purpose is to reduce flooding from future conditions (new development, sea level rise) and to provide the documentation required for Cape Coral to advance from CRS class 5 toward class 4; he said adoption of the plan is a prerequisite activity to reach class 4.
The FAU technical team mapped topography, soils, water table, land cover and developed flood-probability maps for multiple storm events (1-day/5-year, 1-day/10-year, 3-day/25-year, 1-day/100-year) and analyzed scenarios for sea-level rise (1 to 4 feet). Daltrey summarized that vulnerable and critical facilities (water/sewer plants, public safety) were mapped, and the plan includes an action toolbox that ranges from capital projects (pumps, seawall changes, tide/valve systems) to policy changes (design standards, finished-floor elevations) and funding strategies.
Daltrey emphasized the plan does not commit the council to immediate construction projects; rather, it provides a prioritized toolbox and possible funding approaches. He said the plan uses a 50-year horizon to evaluate options and that some measures (seawall elevation changes, new pump stations) could be phased into the city—s capital improvement program as infrastructure is replaced or upgraded.
Councilmembers thanked staff for the thorough geospatial modeling and asked how adoption affects the CRS score; Daltrey said the plan is the final prerequisite to apply for class 4 and estimated the plan would provide several hundred points toward the 3,000-point threshold needed for Class 4. Daltrey said other ongoing activities and documentation will likely push the city over the class-4 point threshold.
Ending: Staff said they would return next month with a resolution to adopt the Watershed Master Plan and that adoption would help the city pursue CRS class-4 benefits, which include lower flood-insurance premiums for property owners.
