EO 11988 Floodplain Management   

Executive Order 11988 Floodplain Management directs all Federal agencies to avoid, if possible, development and other activities in the 100-year base floodplain. Where the base floodplain cannot be avoided, special considerations and studies for new facilities and structures are needed. Design and siting are to be based on scientific, engineering, and architectural studies; consideration of human life, natural processes, and cultural resources; and the planned lifespan of the project.

Federal agencies are required to:

• Reduce the risk of flood loss
• Minimize the impact of floods on human safety, health, and welfare
• Restore and preserve the natural and beneficial values served by floodplains in carrying out agency responsibility

Amended by Executive Order 12148 Federal Emergency Management 20 July 1979

For additional information, see the National Archives and Records Administration