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Summer/Fall 1995 WATER TALK Page 9 ».~ntinued from paps 8 Heavy rains continued into August, especially in the south. By early September, many areas of southern Minnesota reported 125 to 150 of normal precipitation for the warm. season (Figure 1). The very wet conditions in the south led to unusually high lake levels and stream flows. The hydrologic imbalances are most notably apparent in those areas dampened by above normal precipitation throughout the 1990's (Figure 2). This decade's unusually heavy precipitation in southern Minnesota is comparable in magnitude (but not in areal extent) to the abnormally wet conditions found during the mid-1980's in southern and central Minnesota= Springfled Relocation Project... continued from. page 5 For regulatory purposes, the floodplain is that land adjacent to rivers and lakes which would be covered by the 100-year flood. The 100-year flood is defined as an event which has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year. The floodplain is further divided into the floodway and the flood fringe areas in the Springfield Floodplain Management Ordinance. The floodway is the land immediately adjoining the river which is covered by fast moving flood waters. This area is to be free of homes, buildings or structure to allow flood waters to pass. The flood fringe is that area of the 100-year floodplain outside of the floodway which can be developed if structures are properly elevated above the 100-year flood elevation. In a natural state, the flood fringe is typically covered by shallow, slow moving flood waters: The placement of fill or structures in the flood fringe do not increase upstream or downstream flood elevations. As for other towns built within the floodplain of a river, Schwieger would advise "go ahead and relocate, but have patience. The state should use Springfield as an exarriple, everything went so smooth." tt