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Marana's fight to keep a large portion of town from being labeled a flood plain took a step forward Wednesday, though the town must still ultimately prove to federal officials that flooding isn't likely to occur in order to prevent hundreds of homeowners from having to buy flood insurance.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has backed off on its plans to designate about 10 square miles in Marana as a high-risk flood zone, a move that was set to occur in late September 2008. The agency has not set a new timetable.

"We haven't received a formal response, but it's close to what we want," Marana Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat said.

Reuwsaat said he expects to hear from FEMA by the end of this week or early next week. A letter the agency sent Tuesday to Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., asking him to withdraw support of a bill that would force FEMA to overhaul how it does its flood mapping indicated that FEMA is willing to give Marana more time.

The letter said that after a Nov. 15 meeting with members of Arizona's congressional delegation including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, FEMA had "agreed in principle to suspend issuance of a preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map for (Pima) County and agreed to provide Marana with an opportunity to restudy areas of the map in question."

FEMA notified Marana in late July that, following a nationwide assessment of all levees and leveelike structures, it had determined Interstate 10, the Union Pacific railroad tracks and the Central Arizona Project canal acted like levees but could not be expected to provide actual protection from sheet flooding off the Tortolita Mountains.

Marana had asked FEMA for up to 24 months to conduct a full-scale hydrological study that would prove the area in question was not susceptible to flooding.

Town engineer Keith Brann said it's unclear how much time FEMA will give Marana, though the fact FEMA has acknowledged Marana's concerns is positive.

Brann also cites the fact that FEMA's official flood maps, which were due to Marana on Nov. 30 but have yet to arrive, as another positive sign.

"This was welcome news," Brann said. "We're possibly one step closer to resolving this."

Reuwsaat credited Giffords, who in October introduced the Levee-Like Structure Consideration Act of 2007, as being integral to Marana's cause.

"The support has been pretty tremendous, and it's growing," Reuwsaat said. "Other parts of the country are starting to see stories on this and are doing something about it."