The Corps’ Floodplain Management Services Program provides communities with our full range of technical and planning services to support effective floodplain management. The Floodplain Management Services program was authorized by Section 206 of the Flood Control Act of 1960, as amended. It is often referred to by its acronym, FPMS, and sometimes referred to as the “Section 206” program.

Under the Floodplain Management Services program, the Corps supports State, Tribal, regional, and local governments with both riverine and coastal flood challenges. Our work empowers communities to better understand their risks of flooding and develop plans to communicate and manage that risk. For example, we can work with communities to develop or interpret site-specific data on flood hazards or obstructions to flood flows; flood formation and timing, flood depths and elevation; floodwater velocities; and the extent, duration, and frequency of flooding. With the Floodplain Management Services program, we can also provide information on natural and cultural floodplain resources before and after the use of floodplain management measures. Special Studies under the Floodplain Management Services program can be executed for a variety of purposes, for example, to identify present and future floodplain areas, or to conduct broad assessments of the various floodplain management alternatives. Special Studies typically take 12 to 24 months to be completed.

Due to our unique circumstances in California, the Corps also supports communities in post-wildfire flood hazard assessments and mitigation planning under the Floodplain Management Services program.

Because the Floodplain Management Services program enables the Corps to execute this work at no direct charge to a local community, it creates an excellent opportunity for the Corps to work with partners who don’t otherwise have the financial resources for a cost-share. The Corps can work with federal agencies and private persons under the Floodplain Management Services program—however services for these groups require a cost-recovery or fee basis.

Past examples of services and projects using the Floodplain Management Services program include:

• Understanding flood hazards and risk
  • Floodplain Delineation / Flood Hazard Evaluation
  • Urbanization Impact Studies
  • Inventory of Flood Prone Structures
  • Hydrologic, Hydraulic and Sediment Transport Modeling
• Flood risk communication, planning, and management
  • Flood Warning/Preparedness
  • Preparation of guides and pamphlets to convey floodplain information and nature of flood hazards
  • Outreach materials and events for communities, localities, and other public entities to foster public understanding of floodplain hazards.
  • Development and evaluation of alternatives (solutions) to reduce flood risk
  • Nonstructural flood risk management
  • Floodplain management plans
• Post-wildfire assistance
  • Modeling (hazard assessment)
  • Development of risk mitigation measures
  • Flood After Fire toolkit

Limitations: Funding under the Floodplain Management Services program cannot support construction.

link:  Request Letter for the Floodplain Management Services program