Selma Estates Flood Mitigation Project

Overview

  • As early as 2013, areas within the Selma Estates community experienced several flooding events that threatened safety and caused significant property damage.
  • After a flooding event in 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency completed a map revision, effective June 2019, which placed several homes within the Special Flood Hazard Area. This placement indicated that several homes were susceptible to a one percent annual chance flood, which means that there is a one-percent chance that a flood could occur in any given year.
  • In response to FEMA’s map revision, the county contracted with a third-party consultant to conduct a detailed watershed analysis and provide recommendations to reduce the flood risk in the community. This analysis indicated that acquiring and demolishing homes is the only evaluated option that removes flood risk and safety concerns associated with the one percent-annual-chance event with certainty.
  • A major obstacle to the implementation of flood mitigation measures in Selma Estates has been the legal restriction of the county from utilizing local tax funding for the betterment of private properties.
  • However, recent changes to the Virginia State Code enable the county to provide financial assistance with flood mitigation measures. 
  • Three items are needed for the next steps of the Selma Estates Mitigation project. All three are necessary to address flood mitigation efforts in Selma Estates:
    • Loudoun County Local Resilience Plan. Elements of this plan would allow the county to develop a local Flood Mitigation and Protection Grant Program in compliance with recent changes in Virginia State Code.
    • Flood Mitigation and Protection Grant Program Ordinance. This ordinance would allow the county to establish a grant program that could assist residents in implementing flood mitigation and protection on private property. By adopting this ordinance, the county could make it possible for eligible property owners in Selma Estates to apply for county assistance.  
    • Flood Mitigation Guidelines. These guidelines provide a means for the county to implement a one-time mitigation effort for eligible property owners in the Selma Estates Subdivision, as approved by the Board in October 2021. By adopting these guidelines, the county could enable eligible homeowners to access grant funding for projects that would mitigate the risk of recurring flooding issues on their properties.

Project Update: December 6, 2022

At the December 14, 2022 Board of Supervisors public hearing, the Board is expected to review the proposed Flood Mitigation and Protection Grant Program Ordinance. View the public hearing item here.

This ordinance would allow the county to establish a grant program that could assist residents in implementing flood mitigation and protection on private property. It is one of three items needed for the next steps of the Selma Estates Mitigation project. All three are necessary to address flood mitigation efforts in Selma Estates.  

By adopting this ordinance, the county could make it possible for eligible property owners in Selma Estates to apply for county assistance.  

Learn how to sign up to speak at the public hearing.

To view the public hearing live, or access the meeting video after it takes place, please visit this webpage.

If you have questions regarding the next steps in this process, please contact Maggie Auer, project manager, by email or call 703-777-0222.

Stay Informed About This Project

Contact Us

If you have questions about the flood mitigation project, email project manager Maggie Auer at the Department of Building and Development or call 703-737-0222.

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