Background:

AMAFCA is not in the levee business, we’re in the business of getting people out of the flood plain which in turn saves lives and property. In addition, when AMAFCA takes homes out of the flood plain, home owners no longer have to pay flood insurance.

Recent history:

Last year Danny discovered that new FEMA regulations required all levees recognized by FEMA to be inventoried by their owner(s) and certified by a Professional Engineer (PE). When this process was followed for the Albuquerque Levees, it was discovered six miles, three on either side of the Rio Grande in the far end of South Valley, could not be certified because they just piled up dirt and were not engineered. Because these so-called “spoil bank” levees could not be certified, all the lands they protect were to become flood plain. What this meant was that residents living in the affected areas would have to buy flood insurance. In addition, the new designation created, in effect, a no-build zone.

A flurry of meetings among affected governmental agencies ensued. To make a long story short, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD), Bernalillo County and AMAFCA agreed to rebuild the western levee at a cost of $6,000,000; with Bernalillo County and AMAFCA contributing $1,000,000 each and the MRGCD paying for the balance as well as taking lead in project design and construction.

But FEMA wasn’t satisfied with that. It would make its new Bernalillo County flood plain maps official as of mid-September 2008. Since there was no way to design and build the levee that quickly, especially given a burdensome Federal review process, the agencies turned to their U.S. Congressional Delegation to see if they could buy some time.

Pete Domenici (before announcing his retirement), Jeff Bingaman and Heather Wilson all tried and failed to get FEMA to forestall its actions just long enough to build the levee. In February of 2008; Danny traveled to a FEMA Levee conference in St. Louis with an AMAFCA engineer with an Army Corps background and Subhas Shah, the MRGCD Chief Engineer, to meet with regional and national FEMA and Army Corps representatives. The groups’ goal was to get any concession possible, and if possible forestall the release of the new FEMA maps long enough to build the project and save a lot of money in flood insurance premiums. After three miserably rainy days in St. Louis (we New Mexicans don’t like rain much), the only concession FEMA was willing to make was that they would consider a different model that would reduce the number of acres affected from 2,600 to 1,240. AMAFCA is still working to get FEMA to accept that model. As of September 26, FEMA put 1,800 South Valley properties in the flood plain. The people who live there now have to buy flood insurance and there is, in effect, a building moratorium in the area.

What’s next?

The three-mile stretch of levee will be built before the Rio Grande next swells with snowmelt. AMAFCA is already working at revising the floodplain maps to show the new levees that are being built.

But FEMA’s new regulations will take affect in the next five to ten years. When that happens, none of the Albuquerque levees will meet those new design standards. This means that all of Albuquerque that is in the Valley, from Sandia Pueblo to Isleta Pueblo, will be in the flood plain. That means residents of the North Valley, the South Valley and even Downtown Albuquerque will have to buy flood insurance. But that’s not the worst of it. Nobody will be able to build without elevating the building above the theoretical flood plains water line.

The three agencies that built the levee plus the City of Albuquerque will have to ask their new Congressional Congregation to ask FEMA to modify regulations designed for the Mississippi River for the Rio Grande and its bosque. One of the new criteria is that woody growth cannot be allowed to within 50 feet on either side of the levee. Imagine the Rio Grande bosque with 120 foot treeless swath running on either side of the Rio Grande. That’s what we have to look forward to if FEMA doesn’t bend to the needs of the Rio Grande Bosque.

In addition, the New Mexico legislature will have to either give the MRGCD or AMAFCA additional authority to build and manage the levees or create a new agency with the authority to do so.

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