Floodplain Management
In order to ensure public safety and welfare, the City of Davenport joined the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 1978. As part of the process the City adopted Ordinance 15.44 entitled "Flood Damage Prevention". To reduce hazard, this ordinance limits and places restrictions on development within the Mississippi River and tributary creek floodplains. In addition, the ordinance prohibits activities that might increase flood levels or that might result in loss of floodplain volume (carrying capacity).
New or substantial improvement to either a residential or non-residential structure in the floodplain requires compliance with this ordinance. This ordinance provides controls that, when used in conjunction with Ordinance 13.34, entitled "Stormwater Management", should significantly reduce flooding in new developments and reduce the risk of flood damage throughout the City.
The activities under floodplain and stormwater management, help to reduce flood losses by:
- protecting public health and safety
- reducing damage to buildings and contents
- preventing increases in flood damage from new construction
- reducing the risk of erosion damage, and
- protecting natural and beneficial floodplain functions
- facilitating an accurate flood insurance rating
- promoting awareness of flood insurance and flood preparedness
You can find out more about regulations related to floodplain management at this Iowa State University Extension and Outreach link https://www.extension.iastate.edu/floodinginiowa/content/floodplain-regulation-videos-13-18.