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15.32.010 Purpose. The purpose of this Chapter is to promote the public health, safety and welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by establishing requirements and restrictions designed to protect human life and health, minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects and damage to public facilities and utilities, minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public, maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of areas of special hazards so as to minimize future flood blight areas and ensure that potential buyers are notified that property is in an area of special flood hazard. 15.32.020 Definitions. The following words shall have the meanings ascribed to them: Accessory use means a use which is incidental and subordinate to the principal use of the parcel of land on which it is located. Alluvial fan means a geomorphologic feature characterized by a cone or fan-shaped deposit of boulders, gravel, and file sediments that have been eroded from mountain slopes, transported by flood flows, and then deposited on the valley floors, and which is subject to flash flooding, high velocity flows, debris flows, erosion, sediment movement and deposition, and channel migration. Apex means the point of highest elevation on an alluvial fan, which on undisturbed fans is generally the point where the major stream that fonned the fan emerges from the mountain front. Appeal means a request for a review of the Chief Building Official's interpretation of any provision of this Chapter. Area of shallow flooding means a designated AO or AH Zone on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) where the base flood depths range from one to three feet, a clearly defined channel does not exist, the path of flooding is unpredictable and indetenninate, and velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow. Base Flood means a flood which has a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year(also called the "100-year flood"). Base flood is the term used tluoughout this Chapter. Basement means any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides. I:\cclerk\Ordinances\Nos 2800-2899 in Word\2837 FEMA Flood insurance study Clean Copy.docx