Nebraska Flood-Plain Management Program—Part I

Preliminary work resulted in the special recommendation that legislative steps be taken to create a program of flood plain delineation and land use regulation in the State of Nebraska. Legislative Bill 893, the Nebraska Flood Plain Regulation Act enacted in 1967, provided the statutory authority. The Nebraska program utilizes the most recently developed techniques in the field of flood discharges and water surface profile computation. The statute provides for the legal establishment of floodway encroachment lines by order of the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission folowing a public hearing. It directs initial responsibility for the administration of regulation over the delineated and established floodways to the local governmental entity. Backup authority for regulatory control is vested in the state only on failure of the local government to adopt or enforce the necessary controls within 2 yr of establishment. The regulatory program is compatible with both structural and other nonstructural flood damages abatement programs.