At a glance

• WHAT: Floodplain public outreach meeting.

• WHEN: 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16

• WHERE: Hammon Senior Center, 1033 W. Las Palmas Ave.

• DETAILS: To educate residents on floodplain management and possible ways to lower their flood insurance premiums.

• INFO: Maria Encinas, 895-8061

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Hundreds of homeowners in northern Patterson pay an average of nearly $700 per year in flood insurance premiums. Some are paying more than they should, but many don’t know it.

That was the motivation behind a public outreach meeting at the Hammon Senior Center, which will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, to educate local residents about floodplain management.

More than 500 parcels in the city are in a floodplain — an area of flat land prone to flooding because of its proximity to a body of water, such as a creek or river — and are therefore required to have flood insurance.

But not all flood insurance policies are alike. Maria Encinas, the city’s floodplain administrator, said just a few inches of elevation can make a big difference in flood insurance premiums.

Folks who think they’re paying too much for flood insurance can get an elevation certificate from the city, Encinas said, and that proof of elevation can save them money on their flood insurance.

Wednesday’s outreach meeting will feature booths offering flood maps and elevation certificates, and insurance experts and surveyors will be on hand to answer individual questions.

Encinas said the county had a similar meeting in 2008, when the floodplain map was last updated, but there has been no such meeting in Patterson.

“We want to reach out to as many people as we can,” Encinas said during a presentation to the City Council last month. “This is all good information, and we just want to put it out there.”

The residential areas in Patterson that are currently in the floodplain include the Country Hollow and Colony Park subdivisions between Ward Avenue and Highway 33. The floodplain also extends along the western side of Highway 33 all the way to the downtown circle.

Parts of Walker Ranch would have been in the floodplain, but mitigation measures taken on Salado Creek in 2002 prevented it, Encinas said. The proposed Villages of Patterson development to the northeast also lies entirely within the floodplain.

• Contact James Leonard at 892-6187 or james@pattersonirrigator.com.