Federal flood maps that show a proposed Menards store and an asphalt paving company are in a flood plain could be changed, County Surveyor Ken Hedge told the Boone County Drainage Board Monday.
The maps, drawn by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, show areas believed to be at risk of flooding after significant rains.
Hedge said he is working with the engineering firm CMT, after DNR officials asked for more information that might show the flood plain map is invalid.
In October, Menards was given a two-year extension of approval for a hardware, lumber and housewares store to be built between Sam Ralston Road and Interstate 65, south of Prairie Creek.
FEMA’s new flood maps show that site, and the Triangle Asphalt Paving Corp. headquarters at 501 N. Sam Ralston Road, are in a major flood plain. The flood risk was based on Prairie Creek’s potential to overtop a railroad embankment on the creek’s south bank.
Menards’ original plan was approved by the Drainage Board, based on studies by Christopher Burke Engineering.
FEMA and DNR officials held a workshop in January at the Boone County Fairgrounds to answer questions about the flood maps. David Knipfe of DNR said then final approval of the maps could be a year away.
