Final revised digital maps for all John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System
Learn more about the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System, which was established under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act in 1982.
Learn more about John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (System) units in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Wisconsin, and the Great Lakes region of New York, plus 125 units in Florida and seven units in Louisiana are now available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The maps cover over 1 million acres, which is approximately 35% of the entire System. The Coastal Barrier Resources Act requires the Secretary of the Interior to review and update the maps at least once every five years to reflect changes in coastal barriers coastal barriers
Learn more about coastal barrier landforms.
Learn more about coastal barriers from natural forces. The revised maps do not correct mapping errors affecting private property owners; such changes require a separate review effort and must be adopted by Congress through legislation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the maps of the System under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA). CBRA was enacted in 1982 as a way to restrict federal expenditures on hurricane prone, biologically rich coastal barriers. Most new federal expenditures and financial assistance that encourage development are prohibited within the System. While it does not prevent development, it requires private developers or other non-federal parties to bear the full cost – e.g., for flood insurance – thereby saving taxpayer money and helping conserve these important areas.
The System comprises a total of 859 geographic units that encompass approximately 3.3 million acres of relatively undeveloped coastal barrier lands located along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes coasts, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The updated maps were produced through a digital conversion project in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Service has already digitally converted maps for all System units in Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, one unit each in Florida and New York, and 13 units in North Carolina. Digitally converted maps for the entire System are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016.
The revised maps and additional information about the Coastal Barrier Resources System can be found on the Service’s website at www.fws.gov/cbra.
