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 L
WILS
GOVU
HH 10.9: Ut 8

CE
INSURAN

STUDY
TM
EPAR
UD.S.

OF
HOUSIN
G
AND

244
013
030
URBAN

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
LIBRARIES

JUN 12 1978

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

U.S. DEPOSITORY DOCUMENT
D - 295
TOWN OF UTUADO ,

PUERTO RICO

FEBRUARY 1978

U.S. DEPARTMENT of HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT

FEDERAL INSURANCE ADMINISTRATION

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose of Study 1

1.2 Coordination 1

1.3 Authority and Acknowledgments 1

2.0 AREA STUDIED

2.1 Scope of Study 2

2.2 Community Description 2

2.3 Principal Flood Problems 4

2.4 Flood Protection Measures 4

3.0 ENGINEERING METHODS 4

3.1 Hydrologic Analyses 4

3.2 Hydraulic Analyses 5

4.0 FLOOD PLAIN MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS 7

4.1 Flood Boundaries 7

4.2 Floodways 8

5.0 INSURANCE APPLICATION 9

5.1 Reach Determinations 9

5.2 Flood Hazard Factors 10

5.3 Flood Insurance Zones 10

5.4 Flood Insurance Rate Map Description 11

6.0 OTHER STUDIES 11

i
 TABLE OF CONTENTS ― continued

Page

7.0 LOCATION OF DATA 11

8.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES 13

FIGURES

- Vicinity Map 3
Figure 1

- 6
Figure 2 Frequency - Discharge , Drainage Area Curves

- Floodway Schematic 9
Figure 3

TABLES

Table 1 G Flood Insurance Zone Data 12

EXHIBITS

Exhibit 1 - Flood Profiles

Rio Grande de Arecibo Panels 01P - 02P
Rio Vivi Panel 03P

Exhibit 2 Flood Insurance Rate Map Panel 720000 0090A

ii
 FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose of Study

The purpose of this Flood Insurance Study is to

investigate the existence and severity of flood hazards
in the Town of Utuado , Puerto Rico , and to aid in
the administration of the Flood Insurance Act of 1968
and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973. Initial
use of this information will be to convert Utuado
to the regular program of flood insurance by the Federal
Insurance Administration . Further use of the information
will be made by local and regional planners in their
efforts to promote sound land use and flood plain
development .

1.2 Coordination

The Autoridad de Carreteras de Puerto Rico ( Puerto

Rico Highway Authority ) coordinated with this study
by providing a photogrammetric map ( Reference 1) .

At a joint meeting of the U. S. Geological Survey ,

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers , Puerto Rico Planning
Board , Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources ,
Puerto Rico State Civil Defense , San Juan Commissioner
of Insurance , Representative of the Governor , Federal
Insurance Administration ( U. S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development ) , and the Consultation Coordina-
tion Officer , it was agreed that common hydraulic
reaches , frequency - discharge data , and flood boundaries
as delineated were acceptable .

A final community coordination meeting was held in

Utuado on May 18 , 1976 .

1.3 Authority and Acknowledgments

The source of authority for this Flood Insurance Study

is the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 , as amended .

The hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for this study

were performed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the
Federal Insurance Administration , under Inter - Agency
Agreement No. IAA- 17-75 , Project Order No. 3. This
work , which was completed in February 1976 , covered all
significant flooding sources affecting the Town of Utuado .
2.0 AREA STUDIED

2.1 Scope of Study

This Flood Insurance Study covers the Town of Utuado ,

located in the western interior part of Puerto Rico .
The area of study is shown on the Vicinity Map
(Figure 1 ) .

Rio Grande de Arecibo and its tributary Rio Vivi were

studied in detail . They were chosen with consideration
given to all forecasted development and proposed con-
struction through December 1980 .

2.2 Community Description

The Town ( Pueblo ) of Utuado is located in a small

valley in the western interior of Puerto Rico , about
24 kilometers south of Arecibo . The population of urban
Utuado was 11,573 in 1970 , which is a 17.3 percent
increase since 1960. A steady growth is expected in the
future .

The topography of the area is diverse , including moun-

tains , foothills , and small valleys . There are volcanic
rocks of Cretaceous age in the mountains , volcanic
rocks of Tertiary age in the foothills , and Quaternary
clay and gravel in the valleys . The climate is sub-
tropical with abundant vegetation . The mean annual tem-
perature is 27 ° Celsius . The mean annual precipitation
is approximately 2030 millimeters .

Rio Grande de Arecibo rises on the northern slopes

of the Cordillera Central , flows northward through
the western part of the Town of Utuado , through Lago
Dos Bocas , and empties into the Atlantic Ocean at
Arecibo . The drainage area at the origin of the study
area is 173 square kilometers . The drainage area
between Lago Dos Bocas and the mouth is indeterminate
because most of it is in cavernous limestone . The
estimated drainage area at the mouth is 541 square kilo-
meters .

Rio Vivi , tributary to Rio Grande de Arecibo , flows

in a westerly direction through the Town of Utuado
and empties into Rio Grande de Arecibo on the west
side of Utuado . The drainage area of Rio Vivi at
the mouth is 43 square kilometers .

2
 N

ABA
Cavaco

30

)
621

LT BA
L Gravero Playa
La
A

de

530
brada
Que
Aljibe
RRIBA Tangue
de 55.5 Pants
Taran
de
Agua Ne
Aguas
de
55.2 Parque Ri
9BM
134 Atletico o
B
UTUADO
Gua

Que
bra
da
RONCADO
270

Ron
Ri

ccaapo
a Vi
nic Qu vi
uno eb
ra
da
Gravero
EM
199

DEVELOPMENT
HOUSING
URBAN
AND
DEPARTMENT
OF SCALE
APPROXIMATE
Administration
Federal
Insurance 250 O 250 500 METERS
750

UTUADO
OF
TOWN
,PR
VICINITY
MAP

FIGURE
1
 There are many residential and commercial developments
located in the flood plain at the present time , and
continuing economic development within the study area
is expected . Intensified flood plain use will undoubt-
edly accompany such development .

2.3 Principal Flood Problems

Rio Grande de Arecibo and its tributary Rio Vivi are

perennial streams and have welldefined channels .
Flooding is caused by local rainstorms , some of which
are associated with hurricanes .

Information obtained from historical records and flood-

marks indicate that large magnitude floods have occurred
on Rio Grande de Arecibo and Rio Vivi at least seven
times since 1886 , causing damage to buildings . These
floods occurred in 1886 , 1899 , 1928 , 1932 , 1954 , 1970 ,
and 1975 .

2.4 Flood Protection Measures

No known flood protection or control measures

planned within the study area in the immediate future
and none are now in effect .

3.0 ENGINEERING METHODS

For flooding sources studied in detail in the community ,

standard hydrologic and hydraulic study methods were used to
determine the flood hazard data required for this study .
Floods having recurrence intervals of 10 , 50 , 100 , and 500
years have been selected as having special significance for
flood plain management and for flood insurance premium
rates . The analyses reported here reflect the current
conditions in the watersheds of the streams .

3.1 Hydrologic Analyses

Hydrologic analyses were carried out to establish the

peak discharge - frequency relationships for the floods
of the selected recurrence intervals for each stream
studied in detail in the Town of Utuado .

4
 A regional flood - frequency report by Lopez and Fields
( Reference 2 ) was used to determine flood frequencies
up to 50 years in this report . The regional flood-
frequency report by Lopez and Fields was based on log-
Pearson Type III analysis ( Reference 3 ) of individual
station records and the regionalization was developed
using multiple regression techniques .

Discharges for the 100- and 500 - year floods of all streams
were determined by extrapolation of a log graph proba-
bility of flood discharges computed for frequencies up
to 50 years . The equations to compute the discharges
used in this frequency graph are :

0.60
2230 DA0.71
10 =
250 = 2230 DA

Peak discharges for the 10 , 50 , 100 , and 500 - year

floods of streams in the study area , maximum known peak
discharges for nearby stream sites , and maximum known
peak discharges for selected United States streams are
shown in Figure 2 .

3.2 Hydraulic Analyses

Analyses of the hydraulic characteristics of streams in

the community were carried out to provide estimates of
the elevations of floods of the selected recurrence
intervals along each stream studied in detail in the
community .

Cross section properties at 0.15 - meter intervals were

obtained through use of a U. S. Geological Survey
computer program ( Reference 4 ) . Water - surface eleva-
tions of floods of selected recurrence intervals were
determined by stepbackwater and critical depth computa-
tions through appropriate reaches . Cross sections for
the backwater analyses were field surveyed and were
located at close intervals above and below bridges and
culverts in order to compute the significant backwater
effect of these structures . Locations of selected
cross sections used in the hydraulic analysis are shown
on the Flood Profiles ( Exhibit 1 ) .

Streamflow data available for the study area consists

of floodmarks for the flood of September 16 , 1975 .
This flood has a recurrence interval of approximately
100 years and the floodmarks , which were field surveyed
along the entire study area , were used to help deter-
mine the profile of the 100 - year flood .
LO

5
 1000000

IEX TEXAS

TIHIH
NEBRASKA

A
ARECIBO
DE
GRANDE
RIO
5
000
100000

→
100
A
ATER
L
1050

VIVI
RIO 02511

500
10
WASHI chol
1
O00

CAROLINA
NORTH 5Ꮎ 0

PEAK DISCHARGE
2
O5
10000

( CUBIC METERS PER SECOND )

10
!10 LEGEND

CAROLINA
NORTH
MAXIMUM
KNOWN
U.S.
IN

MAXIMUM
KNOWN
VICINITY
IN
All

O
COMPUTED
AREAL
FROM
STUDY

1000
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000
DRAINAGE
AREA
S
KILOMETERS
() QUARE

URBAN
DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
AND
HOUSING
OF
Federal
Administration
Insurance DISCHARGE
FREQUENCY
CURVES
,AREA
DRAINAGE

,PR
UTUADO
OF
TOWN
- VIVI
ARECIBO
DE
GRANDE
RIO

FIGURE 2
 Channel roughness factors ( Manning's " n " ) for these
computations were assigned on the basis of field
inspection of flood plain areas .

Flood profiles were drawn showing computed water - surface

elevations to an accuracy of 0.15 meter for floods of
the selected recurrence intervals ( Exhibit 1 ) . Starting
elevations for all stream profiles were developed by
the slope - conveyance method . All elevations are measured
from mean sea level datum .

The hydraulic analyses for this study are based only on

the effects of unobstructed flow . The flood eleva-
tions , as shown on the profiles , are thus considered
valid only if hydraulic structures in general remain
unobstructed .

4.0 FLOOD PLAIN MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS

A prime purpose of the National Flood Insurance Program is

to encourage state and local governments to adopt sound
flood plain management programs . Each Flood Insurance
Study , therefore , includes a flood boundary map designed to
assist communities in developing sound flood plain man-
agement measures .

4.1 Flood Boundaries

In order to provide a national standard without regional

discrimination , the 100 - year flood has been adopted by
the Federal Insurance Administration as the base flood
for purposes of flood plain management measures . The
500 -year flood is employed to indicate additional areas
of flood risk in the community . For each stream
studied in detail , the boundaries of the 100 - year and
the 500 - year floods have been delineated using the flood
elevations determined at each cross section ; between
cross sections , the boundaries were interpolated using
topographic maps at a scale of 1 : 20,000 with a contour
interval of 10 meters ( Reference 5 ) .

Flood boundaries are indicated on the Flood Insurance

Rate Map ( Exhibit 2) . On this map , the 100 - year flood
boundary corresponds to the boundary of the areas of
special flood hazards ( Zones A , Al6 , and Al7 ) ; and the
500 - year flood boundary corresponds to the boundary of
the areas of moderate flood hazards ( Zone B ) .

7
 In cases where the 100- and 500 - year flood boundaries
are close together only the 100 - year flood boundary has
been shown .

Small areas within the flood boundaries may lie above

the flood elevations , and therefore , not be subject to
flooding ; owing to limitations of the map scale , such
areas are not shown .

4.2 Floodways

Encroachment on flood plains , such as artificial fill ,

reduces the flood - carrying capacity and increases flood
heights , thus increasing flood hazards in areas beyond
the encroachment itself . One aspect of flood plain
management involves balancing the economic gain from
flood plain development against the resulting increase
in flood hazard . For purposes of the Flood Insurance
Program , the concept of a floodway is used as a tool to
assist local communities in this aspect of flood plain
management . Under this concept , the area of the 100-
year flood is divided into a floodway and a floodway
fringe . The floodway is the channel of a stream , plus
any adjacent flood plain areas , that must be kept free
of encroachment in order that the 100 - year flood be
carried without substantial increases in flood heights .
Criteria adopted by the Federal Insurance Administra-
tion limit such increases in flood heights to 0.30
meter , provided that hazardous velocities are not
produced .

The area between the floodway and the boundary of the

100 - year flood is termed the floodway fringe . The
floodway fringe thus encompasses the portion of the
flood plain that could be completely obstructed without
increasing the water - surface elevation of the 100 - year
flood more than 0.30 meter at any point . Typical
relationships between the floodway and floodway fringe
and their significance to floodplain development are
shown in Figure 3 .

Floodways were not computed for this report because

even the 50 - year flood inundates the flood plains . The
channel also has steep banks , and any encroachment
would produce excessive velocities and hazardous con-
ditions . Therefore , the 100 - year flood boundary
presented in this report is considered to be the flood-
way boundary .

8
 100-YEAR FLOOD PLAIN

FLOODWAY FLOODWAY FLOODWAY

FRINGE FRINGE

STREAM
CHANNEL

FLOOD ELEVATION WHEN

CONFINED WITHIN FLOODWAY

ENCROACHMENT ENCROACHMENT

SURCHARGE *
B

AREA OF FLOOD PLAIN THAT COULD FLOOD ELEVATION

BE USED FOR DEVELOPMENT BY BEFORE ENCROACHMENT
RAISING GROUND ON FLOOD PLAIN

LINE AB IS THE FLOOD ELEVATION BEFORE ENCROACHMENT.

LINE CD IS THE FLOOD ELEVATION AFTER ENCROACHMENT.
*SURCHARGE IS NOT TO EXCEED 1.0 FOOT ( FIA REQUIREMENT ) OR LESSER AMOUNT IF specified BY STATE .

Figure 3. Floodway Schematic

5.0 INSURANCE APPLICATION

In order to establish actuarial insurance rates , the Federal

Insurance Administration has developed a process to transform
the data from the engineering study into flood insurance
criteria . This process includes the determination of reaches ,
Flood Hazard Factors , and flood insurance zone designations
for each flooding source studied in detail affecting Utuado .

5.1 Reach Determination

Reaches are defined as lengths of watercourses having

relatively the same flood hazard , based on the average
weighted difference in water - surface elevations between
the 10- and 100 - year floods . This difference does
not have a variation greater than that indicated in
the following table for more than 20 percent of the
reach .

9
 Average Difference Between
10- and 100 - year Floods Variation

2.16 to 3.66 meters .61 meter

Two reaches meeting the above criterion were required

for the flooding sources of Utuado . These included
one on Rio Grande de Arecibo and one on Rio Vivi .
The locations of the reaches are shown on the Flood
Profiles (Exhibit 1 ) .

5.2 Flood Hazard Factors

The Flood Hazard Factor ( FHF ) is the Federal Insurance

Administration device used to correlate flood informa-
tion with insurance rate tables . Correlations between
property damage from floods and their FHF are used
to set actuarial insurance premium rate tables based
on FHFS from 005 to 200 .

The FHF for a reach is the average weighted difference

between the 10- and 100 - year flood water- surface eleva-
tions expressed to the nearest 0.15 meter and shown
as a three - digit code . For example , if the difference
between water - surface elevations of the 10- and 100 - year
floods is 0.21 meter , the FHF is 005 ; if the difference
is 0.43 meter , the FHF is 015 ; if the difference is
1.52 meters the FHF is 050. When the difference
between the 10- and 100 - year flood water - surface
elevations is greater than 3.05 meters , accuracy for
the FHF is to the nearest 0.30 meter .

5.3 Flood Insurance Zones

After the determination of reaches and their respective

Flood Hazard Factors , the entire area of Utuado was
divided into zones , each having a specific flood poten-
tial or hazard . Each zone was assigned one of the
following flood insurance zone designations :

Zone A : Special Flood Hazard Areas inundated

by the 100 - year flood , determined
by approximate methods ; no base
flood elevations or Flood Hazard
Factors determined .

Zones A16 and Al7 : Special Flood Hazard Areas in-

undated by the 100 - year flood ,
determined by detailed methods ;
base flood elevations shown ,
and zones subdivided according
to Flood Hazard Factors .

10
 Zone B: Areas between the Special Flood
Hazard Areas and the limits of the
500 - year flood , including areas of
the 500 - year flood plain that are
protected from the 100 - year flood
by dike , levee , or other water
control structure ; also areas sub-
ject to certain types of 100 - year
shallow flooding where depths are
less than 1.0 foot ; and areas sub-
ject to 100 -year flooding from
sources with drainage areas less
than 1 square mile . Zone B is
not subdivided .

Zone C: Areas of minimal flooding .

The flood elevation differences , Flood Hazard Factors ,

flood insurance zones , and base flood elevations for
each flooding source studied in detail in the community
are summarized on Table 2 .

5.4 Flood Insurance Rate Map Description

The Flood Insurance Rate Map for the Town of Utuado ,

is , for insurance purposes , the principal result of
the Flood Insurance Study . This map contains the
official delineation of flood insurance zones and
base flood elevation lines . Base flood elevation
lines show the locations of the water - surface elevations
of the base ( 100 - year ) flood to the nearest 0.1 meter .
This map is developed in accordance with the latest
flood insurance map preparation guidelines published
by the Federal Insurance Administration .

6.0 OTHER STUDIES

There is no known publication containing information about

flooding problems within the study area . Therefore , no
comparison of results is possible . This study is authorita-
tive for the purposes of the Flood Insurance Program; data
presented herein either supersede or are compatible with all
previous determinations .

7.0 LOCATION OF DATA

Survey , hydrologic ,
hydraulic , and other pertinent data used
in this study can be obtained by contacting the office of
the Federal Insurance Administration , Regional Director , 90
Church Street , Room 801 - B , New York , New York 10007 .

11
 2
ELEVATION
DIFFERENCE
Y
)F
AND
%
-1 LOOD
EAR
BETWEEN
(1100 FLOOD FLOOD
BASE
SOURCE
FLOODING PANEL HAZARD ZONE ELEVATION
%
10 2
% %
0.2 FACTOR MEAN
M
.( ETERS
10
Y
)(- EAR 3
Y
)-
(50 00
EAR SEA
)
LEVEL

ARECIBO
DE
GRAND
RIO
1
Reach 0090 -2.65 -1.34 1.07 085 A17 VARIES MAP
SEE

RIO
VIVI
1
Reach 0090 -2.44 -1.01 1.13 080 A16 VARIES SEE
MAP

1 2weigh
Ave ragted
Panel
Map
Rate
Insurance
Flood e3 Meter
Tenth
Nearest
to
Rounded

DEVELOPME
URBAN
AND
HOUSING
OF
DEPARTMEN NT
T
Administration
Insurance
Federal DATA
ZONE
INSURANCE
FLOOD

UTUADO
OF
TOWN
,PR
GRAND
DE
ARECIBO
R
-RIO
IO
VIVI

TABLE 1
8.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES

1. Puerto Rico Highway Authority , Photogrammetric Map ,

Scale 1 : 4800 , 1972

2. U. S. Geological Survey , Open File Report , A Proposed

Streamflow Data Program for Puerto Rico , M.A. Lopez
and F.K. Fields , 1970

3. Water Resources Council , " A Uniform Technique for

Determining Flood Flow Frequencies , " Bulletin 15 ,
December 1967

4. U. S. Geological Survey , E - 431 Computer Program , J.O.

Sherman , 1975

5. U. S. Geological Survey , 7.5 - Minute Series Topographic

Map , Scale 1 : 20,000 , Contour Interval 10 meters :
Utuado , Puerto Rico ( 1957 )

U. S. Geological Survey , Hydrologic Investigations

Atlas , Floods at Arecibo , Puerto Rico , I. J.
Hickenlooper , 1968

13
 REACH 1

E
M

CONFLUENC
ZONE A17

WITH

HIGHWAY
145

HIGHWAY

GRANIBO
10

DE
S
HAIA

PROFILE

AREC
OI
111

FLOOD

RIO
DE
140

135
ELEVATION
METERS
)(INSL
M

130

125

DEPARTMENT
DEVELOPMEN
HOUSING
URBAN
AND
OF T
120

, R NDO
Administration
UTUA
Insurance
TOW
Federal
FL

T
F

OF
P
K
115
LEGEND

500 YEAR FLOOD

100 YEAR FLOOD
50 YEAR FLOOD
110
10 YEAR FLOOD

STREAM BED

CROSS SECTION
B

A C E LOCATION
105
34000 34250 34500 34750 35000 35250 35500 35750 36000 36250 36500 36750 37000 37250

STREAM DISTANCE IN METERS ABOVE MOUTH

01P
 REACH 1
ZONE A17

ARECIBO
GRANDE
FLOOILES
D

RIO
DE
PROF
HIGHWAY
603
155 155
)ELEVATION
METERS
(MSL
IN

150 150

145 145

DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
HOUSING
URBAN
AND
140
A

OF
140

UTUADO
Administration
TOWN
Insurance
Federal
R
,OF
P
135 135
LEGEND

500 YEAR FLOOD

100 YEAR FLOOD
50 YEAR FLOOD
130 130
10 YEAR FLOOD

STREAM BED

M CROSS SECTION
O ΤΟ
LOCATION
125 125
37250 37500 37750 38000 38250 38500 38750 39000 39250 39500 39750

STREAM DISTANCE IN METERS ABOVE MOUTH

02P
 165 165
REACH 1
ZONE A16

160 160

PROFILES
FLOOD
155 155

VIVI
RIO
UNNAMED
HERRERA
AVENUE

ROAD
150 150
ELEVATION
METERS

UNNAMED
)(MSL

ROAD
IN

145 145

140 140

DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
HOUSING
URBAN
AND
OF
135 135

UTUADO
Administration
TOWN
Insurance
Federal
, R
OF
P
ΤΟ PO R

130 130
LEGEND

500 YEAR FLOOD

100 YEAR FLOOD
50 YEAR FLOOD
125 125
10 YEAR FLOOD

STREAM BED

CROSS SECTION
‫ם‬

A B C F GH K LOCATION
MIN
120 120
250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 2250 2500 2750 3000

STREAM DISTANCE IN METERS ABOVE MOUTH

03P
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

3 1951 D03 405 863 U