A multi-year aerial mapping project funded by the Southwest Florida Management District and Sumter County will help predict flooding and water quality problems by updating the county’s topographical maps.
During the first phase of the project, the entire county will be flown over with light detection and ranging laser-based technology (LiDAR) to collect topographic information, which will be used to create detailed elevation maps that show the area’s physical features. From these maps, floodplain boundaries and watersheds may be determined to help predict future flooding and water quality problems.
The elevation data collected from the project will be used to update the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM). Governments, insurance companies and individuals all use FIRMs to identify flooding risk and to plan for potential flooding.
In addition, the information will be used to support cooperative projects between the District and the county, including future watershed management programs, the design and implementation of any large-scale drainage improvement projects, emergency preparedness planning, and more accurate and efficient mapping of wetlands.
Funding for the first phase of this project will be divided among the District, the District’s Withlacoochee River Basin Board and Sumter County. In fiscal year 2006, the District is contributing $83,218 and the basin board is contributing $378,869. Additional funding for future fiscal years is contingent upon board approval. Sumter County is contributing $151,650. The county has submitted this project for Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) consideration. REDI funds are available to communities with demonstrated economic disadvantages.
This project is being coordinated with two other projects, the Citrus County Watershed Management Plan Topographic Mapping and with minimum flows and levels mapping efforts. The coordination of these three projects has allowed the District to negotiate better prices and to increase the consistency of topographic data in the Withlacoochee River watershed.