Swansea City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VII
Inland Flooding and Flood Plain Districts
§ 265-7.1 Purpose.
A.
Ensure public safety through reducing the threats to life and personal injury;
B.
Eliminate new hazards to emergency response officials;
C.
Prevent the occurrence of public emergencies resulting from water quality, contamination, and pollution due to flooding;
D.
Avoid the loss of utility services which if damaged by flooding would disrupt or shut down the utility network and impact regions of the community beyond the site of flooding;
E.
Eliminate costs associated with the response and cleanup of flooding conditions,
F.
Reduce damage to public and private property resulting from flooding waters.
§ 265-7.2 Floodplain District boundaries.
The Floodplain District is herein established as an overlay district. The District includes all special flood hazard areas designated on the Town of Swansea Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the administration of the NFIP dated July 7, 2009, and July 16, 2014, as Zones A, AE, VE, which indicate the 100-year regulatory floodplain. The map panels of the Bristol County FIRM that are wholly or partially within the Town of Swansea are panel numbers 250005C0229F, 25005C0233F, 25005C0241F, 25005C0242F and 25005C0243F, dated July 7, 2009; and panel numbers 25005C0214G, 25005C0218G, 25005C0219G, 25005C0238G, 25005C0239G, 25005C0244G, 25005C0307G, 25005C0326G, 25005C0327G, 25005C0328G, 25005C0329G, 25005C0331G, and 25005C0332G dated July 16, 2014. The exact boundaries of the district may be defined by the 100-year base flood elevation shown on the FIRM and further defined by the Flood Insurance Study Booklet. The FIRM and Flood Insurance Study booklet are incorporated herein by reference.
§ 265-7.3 Base flood elevation and floodway data.
A.
Floodway Data. In Zone AE, along watercourses that have not had a regulatory floodway designated, the best available Federal, State, local or other floodway data shall be used to prohibit encroachments in floodways which would result in any increase in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.
B.
Base Flood Elevation Data. Base flood elevation data is required for subdivision proposals or other developments greater than 50 lots or five acres, whichever is the lesser, within unnumbered A Zones.
§ 265-7.4 Notification of watercourse alteration.
§ 265-7.5 Reference to existing regulations.
A.
The Floodplain District is established as an overlay district to all other districts. All development in the district, including structural and non-structural activities, whether permitted by right or by special permit must be in compliance with MGL c. 131, § 40 and with the following:
(1)
Section of the Massachusetts State Building Code which addresses floodplain and coastal high hazard.
(2)
Wetlands Protection Regulations, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) (currently 310 CMR 10.00).
(5)
Minimum Requirements for the Subsurface Disposal of Sanitary Sewage, DEP (currently 310 CMR 15, Title 5).
B.
Any variances from the provisions and requirements of the above referenced state regulations may only be granted in accordance with the required variance procedures of these state regulations.
§ 265-7.6 Other use regulations.
A.
Encroachments are prohibited in the regulatory floodway which would result in any increase in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of the base flood discharge. All new construction within Zone VE must be located landward of the reach of mean high tide.