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WATTENBERG, COLORADO FLOOD HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN historical relationship of the community to the region as a whole. As a result this Flood Mitigation Plan will address key elements of the historical, geographical and regional factors that will influence the impacts of future flood events. THE WATTENBERG SETTING Community Description Wattenberg IS a small unincorporated community situated in the southwestern section of Weld County, approximately two miles north of the city of Brighton and thirty-five miles south of the city of Greeley. Today, Wattenberg is primarily a residential community with many of its citizens commuting to either Brighton, Denver, or Ft. Lupton for employment. The community population is currently listed as 250 permanent residents according to the 1990 Census. Within the community there is a church, which also serves as a community center and the remainder of the structures are single family homes or commercial properties. To gain a better understanding of Wattenberg, it is imperative to understand Weld County as a whole. Weld County is located in the northeastern portion of the state, in the Great Plains area approximately 40 miles east of the Continental Divide. Bounded by Wyoming on the north, Logan and Morgan Counties to the east, Adams County to the south, and Boulder and Larimer Counties to the west, Weld County contains approximately 4,004 square miles and is the third largest county in the State of Colorado (See Figure 2) The growth rate in Weld County has been AUGUST 1996 WYOMING NEBRASKA WELD COUNTY !ij 0() o ...J 85 Morgan Adams ~ Figure 2 approximately twenty-five percent per decade, which is more than triple the national average. Approximately eighty-five percent of the population is located in an 800 square mile area in the southwestern portion of the county. The 1990 population density for this area is approximately 149 people per square mile. In 1990, 131,821 people lived in Weld County, which represents four percent of the Colorado's population. Historically, Weld County has been consideredan agricultural county. However, according to the 1990 census less than forty percent of the county was classified as agriculture. While the trend for the counties economy is toward diversification, the core economic activity will continue to be derived from fanning. The 1990 labor force in Weld County was divided between different industries as follows: . Agriculture and mining . Government . Manufacturing . Professional and related services . Self employed, and . Wholesale and retail 2