Public Comment on the City of Kalispell Land Use Plan – Flood Preparedness and Resilience from Adam De Yong, Climate Smart Glacier Country Aimee Brunckhorst
From: info@climatesmartglaciercountry.org
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 3:05 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Cc: Steve Thompson
Subject: EXTERNAL Fwd: Public Comment on the City of Kalispell Land Use Plan — Flood
Preparedness and Resilience
To the Kalispell City Council,
Climate Smart Glacier Country respectfully submits the following public comment on the City
of Kalispell Land Use Plan. First, we would like to recognize and commend the Planning
Commission and City staff for the thoughtful work completed to date. The draft plan clearly
acknowledges several pressing challenges facing Kalispell and the greater Flathead Valley that
have the potential to significantly affect residents'
quality of life and the community's small town character.
In particular, we applaud the Plan's policies and analysis related to limiting new development
within the 100 year floodplain while maintaining building standards that reduce property
damage; the recognition of the Valley's high quality water resources and the risks posed to
them; coordination of regulatory programs involving floodplains; attention to nonpoint source
pollution; continued participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP); and the
acknowledgement that significant flooding is a recurring and well documented hazard in the
Flathead Valley.
Climate Smart Glacier Country has been working with local partners and stakeholders,
including Flathead County, to increase awareness of and preparedness for future flood events.
As extreme and unusual weather events continue to occur both locally and nationally, our
organization identified flood preparedness as one of the most serious and under addressed
risks facing our community. As the Plan itself notes, significant flooding is not new to Flathead
County. The question is not if another major flood will occur, but when.
With this in mind, we believe there are opportunities to strengthen the Land Use Plan by
expanding its discussion of flood risk beyond the mapped 100 year floodplain. While the
Special Flood Hazard Area is an important regulatory tool, flood damage frequently occurs
outside these mapped zones. We encourage the Planning Commission to explicitly
acknowledge additional flood risks, including:
-Rain-on-snow events during winter and early spring, such as those recently experienced in
Lincoln County and during the 2022 Yellowstone floods; -Increased flood risk in recently
burned areas; -Ice jam flooding associated with freeze-thaw cycles; and -More frequent and
intense Pacific atmospheric river events.
As outlined throughout Chapter 6, flooding intersects with many of the Plan's other identified
concerns, including stormwater management limitations, nonpoint source pollution, high
groundwater tables, floodplain storage functions, and risks to septic and sewer infrastructure
as the community grows. When considered together, and in the context of floods exceeding
the 100 year event, it is increasingly important that the City actively educate residents about
these risks and the practical steps available to reduce future damage.
Accordingly, Climate Smart Glacier Country recommends the following:
-Amend Chapter 6, Section 6.1.3 (Floodplains) to include additional discussion of flood risks
beyond the 100 year floodplain and to explicitly reference how major flood events can
exacerbate water quality concerns, stormwater challenges, groundwater impacts, and
infrastructure vulnerabilities identified elsewhere in the Plan.
-Add the following policy to the Chapter 6 Recommendations section:
"Policy 14: Promote non-regulatory strategies to support flood preparedness within the 500
year floodplain and explore participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's
Community Rating System (CRS) program to adopt voluntary actions that will mitigate flood
impacts, improve public awareness, and reduce National Flood Insurance Program insurance
costs for residents and businesses."
Participation in the CRS program offers tangible benefits, including flood insurance discounts of
up to 40 percent, improved public access to flood risk information, enhanced coordination with
county and regional partners, and recognition of Kalispell's existing efforts to preserve
floodplains as open space. Many of these activities can be pursued collaboratively, reducing
staff burden while improving outcomes for residents.
Climate Smart Glacier Country is currently working with partner organizations on CRS related
outreach and education efforts and is convening a GIS working group to improve flood scenario
mapping and public facing tools.
We believe the City of Kalispell would be a strong partner in these efforts, benefiting from
shared resources, improved data, and increased public awareness.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment and for your continued work to guide
Kalispell's growth in a way that protects residents, infrastructure, water quality, and long-term
community resilience.
2
Sincerely,
Adam de Yong
On behalf of Climate Smart Glacier Country info@climatesmartglaciercountry.org
(406) 461-2579
3