Introduction to Flood Management Planning

Rain is something we can’t live without. It replenishes our drinking water supplies, enables the production of food, and provides many other benefits.

However, too much rain can cause flooding, threatening lives and properties. Understanding why flooding occurs, and the places it is most likely to occur, is critical to taking steps to reduce flood risks in Montgomery County.

To ensure that the County is better prepared to address flooding issues and reduce flooding risk, a multi-departmental Comprehensive Flood Management Planning (CFMP) process was initiated in 2022.

The CFMP process includes:

Modeling Flood Risk

Understanding which parts of the County are most at risk of flooding is critical to reducing that risk. The County is conducting flood modeling in the most developed areas of the County to better understand the potential for flooding during different rain events. This information can help residents, businesses, and County personnel prepare for flood events in the future, as well as identify policy changes and flood mitigation projects that could be considered to reduce flood risk.

Policy and Programmatic Changes

The CFMP process includes the review of County laws, regulations, building standards, programs, and budgets that relate to flooding. Recommendations will be developed in these areas to reduce flooding risks, enhance the ability of individuals and the government to respond to flooding events, and enable more effective recovery from flooding events that do occur.

Communication and Engagement

It will not be possible to completely eliminate flooding in the County. An important part of the CFMP process will be continual communication and engagement with County residents and businesses to ensure an understanding of the actions that can be taken to reduce flooding risk. More information about this can be found in the resident portal.

The other pages on this site provide background on flood-related terminology and concepts, information about flood modeling, and access to the results of flood modeling completed by the County.

Contact Us

If you have questions about the County's Comprehensive Flood Management Planning (CFMP) process, please contact us at [email protected] or call 311.