Any other flood checks other than Environment Agency`s?

Question

I am just going throught the process of purchasing a house.An environmental report has been completed and a flood risk has come back in the results from the environment agency. The house is next to a fast flowing small brook which it`s source originates some few hundred metres away.The house is 100 metres above sea level and the brook flows towards an area at a much lower height level. The locals can not remember the brook flooding. Is the report from the environment agency a positive result because the house is next to a brook? Are they over sensitive to cover themselves?Are there any other accurate searches/surveys that can be completed? Any advice from someone with past experience or professional experience would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

The only thing I can think of is to look at the report, and see if they identify the stage (elevation) used in the assessment, and compare that stage to stream gage data (if data are available). If the maximum stage used in the report is equal to or larger than the largest flood recorded in the stream, you are in good shape, provided that the period of record captured a large flood. If there are no data for your particular stream, you might be able to extrapolate data from a similar, nearby stream.

Answer 2

As an engineer who has dealt with this issue, the first thing you need to do is see if your property is in a mapped flood zone. These maps are put out by FEMA and identify the 100 year flood zone. This is the bible for flood insurors. Here is a link where you can look it up online.

http://www.msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FemaWelcomeView?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1

If your site is in a zone, then you have to see what kind of zone. If it is in a Zone A, then the map may not be accurate as this type of zone doesn't have an established flood elevation and an engineering study will be required to establish one.

If it is in a zone where a base flood elevation, BFE, has been established, then you will need to hire a licensed surveyor to determine if your structure(s) lie above the necessary elevation.