Butler County, Andover’s floodplain map may change. Will you be impacted?
Butler County’s floodplain map may change, meaning Andover residents could be required to purchase flood insurance depending on where in the city they’re located.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture recently held two instructional open houses in Butler County, one in El Dorado and one in Andover, to inform residents of proposed changes to the floodplain map.
A floodplain is an area with high risk of flooding. Floodplain maps are to support the National Flood Insurance Program in providing regulations and requirements regarding flood insurance, Joanna Rohlf, floodplain mapping coordinator with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, told The Eagle.
“We want (residents) to know that their flood risk is changing, that we’ve seen a change from what was there previously, and that means certain requirements for them may be changing depending on what they want to do with their property,” Rohlf said.
The new map means residents who have a federally backed loan would have to purchase flood insurance if their home is under the floodplain in the updated map.
Here’s what to know about the floodplain and how to tell if you may be affected by the possible changes.
How are floodplain maps changed?
Floodplain maps are reviewed every five years, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are changed every five years.
“Either it could be in weather patterns, or . . . we could have more data sources available that’s more refined and better that we can look at, but it would just start the process off,” Rohlf said.
Right now, Butler County’s new map is in the first step of the process to be changed. The steps are as follows:
- Scoping and map production
- Release preliminary map
- 90-day appeal period
- Final determination
- Six months later, final Flood Insurance Study and Flood Insurance Rate Map is effective
That means that the earliest time the map would become effective is Fall 2027.
How can I see if my home is included in the map draft?
To see if your home would be included in the new flood plain map, you can enter your address at gis2.kda.ks.gov/gis/butler.
If your home does not have a color on it or it’s under green, it’s not in the floodplain. If it’s yellow or red, that means it’s in the floodplain in the proposed map.
In this stage of mapping, the Department of Agriculture is accepting comments from residents through June 7, 2026, with the department expecting to issue preliminary maps around July.
