PROJ02027

• Contract/PO #: FS0044FX
• Contractor Name: Larimer County, Board of County Commissioners
• Contract Type: Miscellaneous
• Water District: 0
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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Inventory of Structures Located in Dry Creek Floodplain

There are currently (1995) 542 commercial and residential structures in the Dry Creek 100-year
floodplain within the City limits. Of the 542 structures, there are approximately 101 commercial
and 441 residential structures. There are 828 structures in the 100-:year floodplain including
county areas. In addition, there are 675 residential and 254 commercial structures in the 500-year
floodplain, including areas within Larimer County (Table 1, Number of Structures Affected by
Flood Event).

The estimated damages resulting from the toO-year flood is $5,779,700 (1990 dollars) within the
City of Fort Collins. Estimated damages for the City and County areas combined is $9,489,600
for the 100-year flood. Average annual damages on Dry Creek are estimated to be $658,700 for
the City and County areas (Table 2, Existing Conditions Damages). The estimate of the number
of structures and cost of damages in the floodplain are based on aerial photography and a 1994
"Flood Control Report for Boxelder Creek, Spring Creek, Dry Creek at Fort Collins, Colorado"
by the Army Corps of Engineers.

The 500-year floodplain was divided into 17 subareas by the Army Corps of Engineers (1994) in
order to facilitate detailed damage analysis for the Dry Creek basin. The damage potential was
evaluated within each of the subareas for the 2-, 5-, 10-,50-, 100-, and 500-year flood events.

Table I shows the number of buildings affected by various flood events. The flood damage
potential for Dry Creek includes damage to buildings and their contents, as well as damage to
public facilities and emergency costs. Public facilities include utilities, roads, parks, and bridges.

Land Use and Flood Hazard Regulations

Land use in the Dry Creek basin is planned and regulated by the City of Fort Collins and Larimer
County. The City has authority for land use controls within the City boundaries. The County has
jurisdiction for the unincorporated areas within the County.

Article XIX of the charter of he City of Fort Collins grants the City the authority to adopt and
implement land use plans and regulations. The City has adopted a zoning regulation that
subdivides the City into 21 different zoning classifications. The districts resulting from this
classification are designed to protect existing property while facilitating and directing future
development. The City zoning regulation includes 12 residential, 4 business, 1 commercial, and 3
industrial districts. Ten of these districts, including residential, business, commercial, industrial,
and transitional zoning classifications, are present in the Dry Creek basin.

Both the City of Fort Collins and Larimer County participate in the NFIP and, as such, have
adopted flood hazard regulations in conformance with the program. These regulations contain
specific guidelines for development within the 100-year floodplain and floodway. The
regulations require that construction of a new structure or substantial improvement of an existing

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