After more than 10 years of planning and two years of construction, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has certified that the floodplain detention facility in Spanish Springs adequately relocates water away from homes and has issued a letter of map revision, which can help homeowners lower their flood insurance rates.

Kimble Corbridge, assistant public works director for Washoe County, said that many homes in the Eagle Canyon area have been removed from the floodplain with the letter of map revision.

“The floodplain that we are dealing with (in Spanish Springs) has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year,” Corbridge said. “Some people compare that to one out of 100, so some people call it a 100-year floodplain.”

Corbridge explained that much of the flooding in Spanish Springs comes from the Griffith Canyon area, but that the county has taken steps to decrease the chance of flooding to the surrounding neighborhood.

“What the county did was formed a storm water utility out there and they fronted the money to build channels and a detention basin and a settlement basin to direct the waters all to one location and then meter it out,” Corbridge explained. “Since the flooding was more of a sheet flow across that area, now it is more confined to a much narrow area, so now some of the homes are out of the floodplain.”

Corbridge, who is a professional engineer and certified floodplain manager, said that the large drain pipes installed during the two-year project can be seen near La Posada Drive. He explained that metering out the water from the detention and settlement basins works much like a bathtub when it drains. If the water flows to the basins in pipes that are 8 feet in diameter, Corbridge said, it might flow out of the basins in a pipe that is only 36 inches in diameter, slowing the water down before it gets to the valley.

Since the competition of the Spanish Springs floodplain project about a year ago, Corbridge said that the county had been working with FEMA for more than six months to obtain a letter of map revision.

“Whoever is changing the floodplain would have an engineer who would design and show a model of what would happen to the floodplain,” Corbridge said. “That information is sent to FEMA and they can ask for more information.”

Corbridge said FEMA can then issue a conditional letter of map revision until the project is completed, at which point FEMA can issue a lot of map revision if the project adequately prevents an area from flooding.

In Spanish Springs, Corbridge said he doesn’t foresee any more floodplain projects in the near future and that the county has looked at the problems surrounding some isolated flash flooding that occurred in 2005 in the neighborhood near Spanish Springs High School.

Corbridge also said the county is looking at the possibility of creating a storm water utility district to help pay for future water projects, such as creating a floodplain management system. He said the cities of Reno and Sparks already have storm water utility districts, and if the county implemented one the fee would be minimal, about $3 to $4 for a single-family residence, while commercial properties could be charged more.

For residents who live in the Eagle Canyon area, Corbridge suggests picking up a letter of map revision and giving it to their insurance agent. He said it could make the difference between paying $1,000 a year for flood insurance and only $200 a year.

“If they have been paying flood insurance, be sure to contact their insurance agent to see if they are eligible for a reduced rate,” Corbridge said. “Even if they are out of the floodplain, it is always a good idea to have insurance.”

Spanish Springs residents can pick up a letter of map revision at the Washoe County complex at 1001 E. Ninth St., Building A, in Reno.