Neighborhood Flood Control Introduction

The Orange County Flood Control Act of 1927 created the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD) to provide for the control and conservation of flood and storm waters, and to protect property and lives from flood damage. Since then an infrastructure of flood control channels, dams, retarding basins and pump stations have been constructed.

In 1968, the US Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Community participation is voluntary. However, in order to receive funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it is a requirement for all communities to participate in the program; OCFCD is a long time participant in the program and administers the floodplains within the unincorporated areas of the County. Within the incorporated areas, Orange County’s cities administer their floodplains. Since the creation of NFIP, OCFCD has worked cooperatively with Orange County’s cities to reduce the floodplain within the County of Orange by constructing flood control facilities that provide 100-year flood protection. Such facilities typically traverse through the cities and ultimately outlet into the Pacific Ocean.