Ideas for a flood expert to look at wetlands surrounding property?

[Dan C.]

I'm considering purchasing a property in Charleston, SC. The property is in FEMA Shaded X flood zone and on high ground but surrounded by wetlands/swamp far from any main bodies of water.

I'd like to hire someone to look at the property and tell me if the wetlands are going to help mitigate, or make worse, future flooding events. I currently live in Charleston and am a fishing guide by trade so I have a good base understanding of how water moves through salt marsh areas, but it'd make me feel a lot better about this purchase if I could have an expert look at it. This is intended to be a "forever" home for my family so want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Any ideas on what kind of expert I should look for? Someone from FEMA? Site engineer? Thanks!

[Dennis McNeely]

I'm retired, but spent many years as  a land developer. Whenever we'd evaluate property prior to its purchase or if we wanted to get a site plan approved, we'd get a wetland expert involved. This person / company was frequently well known by the Department of Environmental Quality, and may have been employed by them prior to their striking out and forming their own wetland consulting company. That consultant would go out and flag the boundary defined by the outermost edge of plants known to be associated with a wetland.

Knowing where the wetland boundary edge is is not the same as knowing where the limits of a floodway or flood plain are though. Those maps are available through FEMA. Note that if your property is in a flood plain, banks will require flood insurance during the entire term of any loan on the property, which can be pricey. Getting a flood plain map modified can be both expensive and time consuming. I understand some states even require flood insurance for property located outside the flood plain!