LEWES — The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is conducting a flood plain-mapping study for Bundicks Branch, a creek near Lewes, and encourages the public to learn more about upcoming mapping changes here.

Comments and questions about the study can be submitted online, with more information about flood plain mapping and flood insurance also found there.

The study is part of the Division of Watershed Stewardship’s partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is designed to improve the accuracy of flood-risk maps. Current flood-risk maps can be viewed here.

FEMA’s flood-risk maps are used for insurance purposes and to enforce local flood plain codes. The agency’s National Flood Insurance Program makes insurance available to property owners. Mortgage lenders require borrowers whose properties are in designated flood-hazard areas to purchase flood insurance as a condition of receiving a federally backed loan.

Standard homeowners insurance does not cover damage caused by flooding, but all property owners and renters can buy flood insurance. Homeowners interested in how the proposed map changes could impact the cost of their premiums should contact their insurance agents.