GISHydro@Maryland

Overview

In July, 2015, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) and the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) appointed the Hydraulics Panel to explore the development of improved procedures to ensure that Maryland policies and processes leading to construction in flood plains are efficient, while also providing accurate assessments of hydraulic performance of highway crossings. The Hydraulics Panel has worked closely with the staff of SHA and MDE; reviewed MDE regulations, policies and design approaches; and provided input on a variety of issues.
The long term goals of the panel include the following:

1. Finalize the recommendations concerning revisions of the present regulations related to the MDE use of FEMA models as minimum standards.
2. Develop efficient hydraulic analysis procedures by integrating FEMA and MDE models into one and provide respective guidance.
3. Review all other controversial regulatory issues such as allowable changes in flood plain elevations, changes in velocities and shear stresses, wildlife and fish passage criteria etc.
4. Review the information from specific SHA reports in which the resolution of such issues turned out to be a problem and formulate recommendations on effective ways of resolving such discrepancies.
5. Prepare a plan of action for a comprehensive set of recommendations on resolution of such issues in the future meetings.

Documents/Products

Report of the Maryland Hydraulics Panel: Recommendations for Hydraulic Analyses in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas in Maryland (October 2018) (released March 2019). This report presents the Panel's recommendations for an integrated approach to obtaining MDE approvals while complying with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regulations for construction in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas. For the reader's convenience, Figures 1.1 and 1.2 are provided as standalone documents.

• Report Document
• Zone AE Integrated Process (Figure 1.1)
• Zone A Integrated Process (Figure 1.2)

Progress Report: Culverts, Channel Stability, and Aquatic Organism Passage in Maryland. This document summarizes the Panel's discussions on these topics.

• Progress Report of the Maryland Hydraulics Panel: Culverts, Channel Stability, and Aquatic Organism Passage in Maryland (Oct. 2018).

Milestones Table The Panel revised Table 1 in the Maryland State Highway Administration OOS Manual for Hydrologic and Hydraulic Design, Chapter 5, Project Development. Chapter 5 has not been revised in its entirety; Table 1 is provided as a stand-alone document.

• Table 1 (PDF)

Presentation on Panel Activities E. Rios Vidal, K. Sandoval, and A. Kosicki presented an update to an audience of practitioners on June 22, 2017.

• June 22 Presentation (pdf)