After reading a letter titled “Support for ‘Big Dave’ Smith” published in the Bitterroot Star on September 7, 2016, I feel compelled to respond to some inaccuracies regarding the floodplain. The writer takes exception to a septic system that has been installed “on an island of the Bitterroot River”, and proceeds to blame a County Commissioner and a change in floodplain regulations for the construction.
I would like to point out that the area where the septic system is installed is not within the regulated floodplain of the Bitterroot River. The area has been declared by FEMA to be above the Base Flood Elevation, and is therefore outside of the floodplain and not subject to the Ravalli County Floodplain Regulations. No point of the drainfield for the system will be allowed to be within 100 feet of the regulated floodplain. Since the revisions to the Ravalli County Floodplain Regulations (Jan. 16, 2015) there has been only one application to construct a home within the floodplain, and that was for a replacement structure of a home that burned in 2015 and is located 2,000 feet from the channel of the river.
Although there are many homes built much closer to the river bank, if they are above the Base Flood Elevation they are not subject to FEMA (or Ravalli County) Floodplain Regulations. If anyone has any questions about floodplain or planning issues, I would invite them to contact us here at the Planning Department. We are willing to answer questions and help in any way that we can.
Brian Wilkinson
Ravalli County Floodplain Manager