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58 Town of Aurora Flood Zones Floodplains are areas of low-lying land typically found FEMA’s Community Rating System adjacent to bodies of water that become inundated during times of high-water flow. Floodplains offer The Community Rating System (CRS) several ecosystem services that benefit the natural is a voluntary incentive program that environment and residents of Aurora. These ecosystem encourages community floodplain services include regulating flood damage, recharging management practices that exceed the groundwater capacity, regulating sediment and nutrient minimum requirements of the NFIP. In levels, and maintaining wildlife habitats. communities that participate in CRS, NFIP insurance rates are discounted to varying The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) degrees depending on the amount of maps flood zones with boundaries that represent the “credit points” earned by the community. 1% (100-year floodplain) and 0.02% (500-year floodplain) Credit points can be earned by a series of chance of an annual flood. Residents in communities actions, including map information services, like Aurora who participate in FEMA’s National Flood hazard disclosures, publicly sharing Insurance Program (NFIP) and reside within the 100- flood protection information, providing year floodplain are entitled to a low-cost federal flood flood protection assistance, stormwater insurance plan that protects their property if damaged by management, floodplain management a flood. While flood zones can be mapped, they are not planning, building dams and levees, and static. Land use, climate change, the level of impervious many more. surfaces, precipitation levels, and run-off rates can all impact flood zones. Furthermore, areas outside of flood The Town of Aurora does not currently zones may flood during intense storms. participate in the CRS program. The Town could become a participant of the program In the Town of Aurora, the 100-year floodplain boundary by appointing a CRS Coordinator to serve covers land (1,456 acres) directly surrounding the East as the liaison between the community and Branch and West Branch of Cazenovia Creek. The West FEMA. The application process begins by Branch of the creek is considered a Zone A area, or submitting a letter of interest to the FEMA a Special Flood Hazard Area. The East Branch of the Regional Office and the implementation creek is mostly considered Zone AE, meaning it is in a of floodplain management activities that Regulatory Floodway. Both Zone A and Zone AE areas warrant at least 500 CRS credit points. are considered high risk and properties within these areas are required to have flood insurance while any new development is required to obtain a floodplain development permit from the Town. The 500-year floodplain is very small (315 acres) and is located only around the split of the East Branch and West Branch of Cazenovia Creek and small portions of the East Branch. Wetlands Wetlands provide habitat for wildlife, filter surface water runoff and help control flooding. They also provide scenic and educational value. Wetlands include forested swamps, open water marshes, wet meadows, and vernal pools. National Wetland Inventory (NWI) mapping by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identify the location of several wetlands within the Town. Most mapped federal wetlands in Aurora are classified as PUB (pond), PSS (shrub swamp), PFO (forested or wooded swamp), or PEM (emergent marsh, fen, or wet meadow), and riverine beds. In Aurora, there are over 440 federally mapped wetlands which, in total, comprise approximately 2,368 acres of land in Aurora (10.9%). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) only maps wetlands for informational purposes as of January 1st, 2025. The NYSDEC Environmental Mapper can be used to assist with locating these informational wetlands.