Marana's floodplain study has been accepted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a letter dated March 30.
"All outstanding technical issues raised by FEMA during the review of this study have been resolved, and the study is acceptable," wrote FEMA senior engineer Ed Curtis in a letter addressed to town engineer Keith Brann.
Marana began last year in the shadow of an impending FEMA designation that said much of the town — 10 square miles encompassing about 2,000 existing structures and 10,000 lots — was in a "Special Flood Hazard Area."
It effectively meant hundreds of property owners each would have had to purchase thousands of dollars' worth of extra flood insurance.
By the beginning of 2008, the agency had agreed to give the town time to conduct a drainage study to prove the designated areas were not a high flood risk. Town officials credit U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Tucson and the 8th Congressional District with intervening on its behalf.
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The seven-month study was finished in August and had pared the high-risk area to 250 existing structures and 600 currently-platted lots.
The town has been waiting for FEMA to finish its review of the study.
Marana Councilwoman Carol McGorray said she felt "utter joy" when she heard the news that FEMA had accepted the results of the study.
"We worked so hard on that," she said. "It's a wonderful day."
McGorray attributed the success to persistence by Giffords and the town, and she noted the expertise of Brann and his staff.
"Everybody has worked on it doggedly," she said. "The town went to bat for the people."
