BOARD00113 ‎(2)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 1/24/2007
• Description: Flood Section - Floodplain Map Modernization Annual Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Section 3 - Colorado Flood Facts
Flood Protection Section

.
. Floodprone areas have been identified in 267 cities and towns and in all of the 64 counties in
Colorado.

. Over 250,000 people are living in Colorado's floodplains. There are estimated to be 65,000
homes and 15,000 commercial, industrial, and business structures in identified floodplains. There
are likely many more structures located within unmapped flood hazard areas. The value of the
property, structures, and contents located in the identified floodplains is estimated to be over 15
billion dollars.

. Average annual flood losses in Colorado are estimated to be about $38,000,000 based on
available data.

. Cumulative flood losses for the most damaging floods in Colorado between the turn of the
century and the present day include more than 350 fatalities and about $5.5 billion worth of
property damage

. Floodplain management initiatives and flood protection measures during the past 40 years have
greatly reduced the flood losses and fatalities that would have otherwise occurred!

.

.

MAJOR FLOODS IN COLORADO
Damages
Date StreamILocation Deaths ($ Millions)
May 1864 Cherry Creek at Denver 0 7.0
Ju1 1896 Bear Creek at Morrison 27 7.8
Oct. 1911 San Juan River near Pagosa Springs 2 7.4
July 1912 Cherry Creek at Denver 2 156
June 1921 Arkansas River at Pueblo 78 988
May 1935 Monument Creek at Colorado Springs 18 67.6
May 1935 Kiowa Creek near Kiowa 9 19.5
May 1955 Purgatoire River at Trinidad 2 46.8
June 1957 Western slope Colorado 0 23.4
June 1965 South Platte River at Denver 8 2600
June 1965 Arkansas River Basin 16 266.5
May 1969 South Platte River Basin 0 27.95
Sept. 1970 Southwest Colorado 0 17.16
May 1973 South Platte River at Denver 10 505.7
July 1976 Big Thompson River in the canyon 144 110.5
July 1982 Fall River at Estes Park 3 63.7
June 1983 North Central Counties 10 33.8
May-June 1984 Western & Northwestern Counties 2 61.1
June 1995 Western Slope and South Platte River 21 67.6
July 1997 Fort Collins & 13 Eastern Counties 6 219.7
May-June 1999 Colorado Springs & 12 Eastern Counties 0 130
2000-2006 Statewide various events 5 110.5
TOTALS 363 $5.5 Billion