Sen. Ron Wyden has taken up Linn County's battle to postpone use of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's new flood maps.

The maps affect requirements for flood insurance.

FEMA has spent six years and more than $1 billion to overhaul its flood insurance maps nationwide. But the Linn County Commissioners contend the new maps aren't as accurate as they should be and that information compiled by the state of Oregon, working in conjunction with individual counties, is far more accurate.

On Friday, Wyden sent a letter to Dennis Hunsinger, FEMA acting regional administrator.

"It is my understanding that Linn County, and other counties in Oregon, have new data gathered by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries," Wyden noted. "The accuracy of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps could save Linn County residents thousands of dollars and accuracy is imperative not only in terms of cost savings but for public safety reasons as well."

Wyden added, "I am respectfully requesting that you delay the final updating of FIRM (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) until after a discussion and an assessment of Linn County's new data maps takes place."

He also asked Hunsinger to contact his Eugene field office to "coordinate a meeting with representatives from Linn County and FEMA as soon as possible."

Commissioner Roger Nyquist said he is pleased that Wyden is interested.

"It's a reasonable approach and that's all we've been asking for. We just want someone to sit down with us and to agree to use the best data available," Nyquist said. "It's one thing for those guys (FEMA) to ignore county commissioners, it's quite another for them to ignore a U.S. senator. We'll see how that works for them."

FEMA's new maps would affect some 900 Linn County property owners. About 600 properties would be taken out of the flood plain and another 300 would be added. Property owners are concerned because being listed in a flood plain can trigger strict building regulations and mandatory flood insurance for mortgaged properties.

To qualify for the federally supported flood insurance program, property owners must live in cities or counties that sign onto the FEMA program, and the Linn commissioners contend the county should not sign something they know is inaccurate.