“Floodplains” is the new buzzword in Marion.

The Planning Board discussed the upcoming Thursday night information meeting regarding the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new flood maps on Monday.

The new maps hold a variety of insurance implications for households within the floodplain. A floodplain is an area affected by flooding. The agency uses these maps to determine the risk of flooding that homeowners may face. High-risk areas are likely to see increased insurance premiums.

The proposed maps raise the floodplain elevation from 17 feet to 19 feet and extend the area in town affected by a “100-year floodplain,” or a flood that has a one percent chance of happening in any given year.

Board member Sherman Briggs read a Sept. 20 article from the Sun Journal, a newspaper in Andover, Maine. The article says Maine’s property owners have spent nearly $3 million over the past 40 years proving their properties are not in FEMA-defined floodplains. Additionally, the article quotes the state’s floodplain coordinator saying, “All maps tend to have a 10 percent chance for error.”

The Board encouraged all residents to attend the meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Music Hall.