North Carolina Effective Flood zones: In 2000, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated North Carolina a Cooperating Technical Partner State, formalizing an agreement between FEMA and the State to modernize flood maps. This partnership resulted in creation of the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program (NCFMP). As a CTS, the State assumed primary ownership and responsibility of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for all North Carolina communities as part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This project includes conducting flood hazard analyses and producing updated, Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). Floodplain management is a process that aims to achieve reduced losses due to flooding. It takes on many forms, but is realized through a series of federal, state, and local programs and regulations, in concert with industry practice, to identify flood risk, implement methods to protect man-made development from flooding, and protect the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains. FIRMs are the primary tool for state and local governments to mitigate areas of flooding. Individual county databases can be downloaded from https://fris.nc.gov Updated Jan 17th, 2025.

Chatham County Flood Hazard Area, Verification date 2007.

DCHC MPO Flood Plain Area.

North Carolina Floodplais from NCFMIS http://floodmaps.nc.gov/fmis/default.aspx, 2011 - 2012

Floodplains of Durham County, Downloaded www.ncfloodmaps.com on 3/25/2014.

Representing the area within the flood mapping boundaries defined by the engineering models for the 100 year, 500 year and floodway. The MapFldHazAr spatial table contains information about the flood hazard within the study area. These zones are used by FEMA to designate the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), identify areas of coastal high hazard flooding, and for insurance rating purposes. These data are the flood hazard areas that are or will be depicted on the FIRM.

Durham County Park and Recreation Location, City of Durham, 2008

his data set represents the extent, approximate location and type of wetlands and deepwater habitats in the conterminous United States. These data delineate the areal extent of wetlands and surface waters as defined by Cowardin et al. (1979). Certain wetland habitats are excluded from the National mapping program because of the limitations of aerial imagery as the primary data source used to detect wetlands. These habitats include seagrasses or submerged aquatic vegetation that are found in the intertidal and subtidal zones of estuaries and near shore coastal waters. Some deepwater reef communities (coral or tuberficid worm reefs) have also been excluded from the inventory. These habitats, because of their depth, go undetected by aerial imagery. By policy, the Service also excludes certain types of "farmed wetlands" as may be defined by the Food Security Act or that do not coincide with the Cowardin et al. definition. Contact the Service's Regional Wetland Coordinator for additional information on what types of farmed wetlands are included on wetland maps.

North Carolina, hydrography with water quality classification, NC DENR Division of Water Quality, 2012

North Carolina Major Hydrography Polygon feature, NC Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, 1999

Data set should be used in conjunction with water quality classifications to identify areas were water supply watershed protection programs are required. Not all areas are strictly watersheds but stop at an upstream limit that is not a complete drainage area delineation.

North Carolina Important Forest Important forest based on NC DENR Conservation Planning Tool (CPT)

Floodplain boundaries for Chapel Hill, North Carolina as delineated by the FEMA Digital Flood Insurance Rate Mapping Program.