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Member asserts DES adopted a '1,000‑year flood' standard unique to the state; FEMA role questioned
Summary
A speaker asserted that the Department of Environmental Services adopted a 1,000‑year flood standard specific to New Hampshire and that it was not enacted through the legislature; another member asked whether FEMA floodplain designations were being used.
During discussion of the Jones Dam and related flood concerns, a speaker asserted that the Department of Environmental Services (DES) "took it upon themselves to declare this whole idea of a of 1000 year flood" and added, "There's no other state that has that policy in place, and it wasn't done through the legislature." Another member followed by asking whether FEMA flood-plain designations were involved in the change.
The transcript records the assertion as a speaker's claim; no clear rebuttal or documentary evidence was presented during the meeting. The claim remains unresolved in the public record and was not tied to a specific regulation or statutory citation in the available transcript. Members did not take a formal vote on changing policies; they discussed pursuing informational briefings and invited state officials to update the group at a later meeting.
