Bert Rapp
City of Fillmore, Public Works Director

New Flood Insurance Requirements Coming.

Beginning in January 2010, approximately 1,500 homes and businesses in Fillmore will need to purchase flood insurance. The cost of the insurance will range from $50 to $100 per month per home or business. This new requirement is due to an update in the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Fillmore now being prepared by FEMA. The property owners affected are those whose property is encumbered by a federally backed loan.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will hold a community meeting in Fillmore to explain the new requirements on September 30, 2009 at the Memorial Building from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. At this meeting, FEMA will explain why flood insurance will be necessary and how insurance may be purchased prior to January 2010 at a savings of approximately 50% on the insurance premium.

The City areas affected are the southwest part of town bordered by Sespe Creek, Old Telegraph Road, A Street and the Santa Clara River; the El Dorado Mobile Home Park and the Sespe Industrial Park adjacent to El Dorado.

Since the Katrina hurricane, FEMA has adopted a policy of re-accrediting levees every 5 years. With the accreditation update in Fillmore, FEMA increased the 100-year flood flow on the Sespe Creek from 98,000 Cubic Feet per Second (CFS) to 135,000 CFS. Using the new flow rate FEMA has de-accredited the lower portion of the Sespe Creek Levee from Old Telegraph Road to Hwy 126. The impacted portion of the levee is at the Hwy 126 Bridge to 400 feet upstream.

The Ventura County Watershed Protection District is working on finding a solution to correcting the deficiency of the Sespe Creek Levee and hopefully will have options for FEMA’s consideration in summer 2009. However, implementing a solution and obtaining reaccreditation of the Sespe Creek Levee may take several years.