FLOOD10411

• County: Denver
• Community: Cherry Creek
• Stream Name: Cherry Creek
• Title: Article - A Flood of Alternatives
• Date: 3/13/1999
• Prepared For: Public
• Prepared By: The Denver Post
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Correspondence

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Saturday. March 13, 1999

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THE
DENVER
POST

Founded 1892

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A flood of alternatives

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MAR 1 b

, The U.S, Army Corps of Engi-
, n~~rs Is answering questions
cItIzens have raised about
plans to expand the Cherry
Cr~k Dam or ,build other dams up-
stream. However, metro Denver resi-
dents still must weigh the small
chance of sucb a flood happening
against the terrible risk that the ca-
. lamity would kill 10,000 people.
The corps says Cherry Creek Dam
, will!:ollapse \n a worst-<:ase flood sce-
. nario. The prediction is based on Na.
tional Weather Service studies. A key
question has been if the weather sera
vice research is right.
Unfortunately, the answer seems to
be yes. In a March 4 letter to the
corps, the weather service outlined the
extensive peer. review the study al-
ready has had and included a new re-
port from an independent consultant.
These catastrophic-flood experts said
the weather service's prediction was
based on a sound scientific approach
and state-of.the art practices.
So. the eonundrum remains:
If nothing is done, mueh of tbe met-
ro area would be endangered during a
rare but huge summer thunderstorm.
... Long $tret!:hes of Interstates 25 and
. 225 would turn Into raging rivers,
making evacuation extremely diffi-
cult. Lower Downtown, the Central
Platte Valley, Auraria campus, Cher-
ry Creek Mall and many other Denver
neighborhoods would be wiped out.

Colorac,:, .. ,
Conservallon ':;'-'-'

P.01

William Dean Sir,~'eton. Ch~rman
Gerald E:. Grilly. President a:ld Publisher

Dennis ~\. Srilfor.. Erlirorand E:cftClIrive Vp
Jean~tte Clla,'ez. M.~JltJ..i(ing Edilnr
SlJe O'Si'i<ln. j."dirl.Jrorrhe Edirorial PagP.

Jim M. Wall, !'.\'eculi~'e t".P. C~Jlf!r31 Manager
Frederick H. AnderSon. !,iP Finance
Ttlomas .J, BOlelho. VP Marketing '.
Frank Oi"on. tIP Operarion:;
Carol H. (3reen. t'p Human REi$OW'~5
Stephen :'1, Sparks. l'P CirC'tlli:i,inn
Aller, J, Walters. tIP .4dl'l:rrising

Chunks of Aurora would be und~J wa-
ter. (One of the dam's existing pilI-
ways feeds Aurora's watersh,eds not
Delaver's). Backwash 1.11 the ,S uth .
Pla.tte River would inundate par s of
Enl~lewood. .,
But scenarios for preventing 'su h a
disltster involve public costs and pri.
"ate sacrifice. For example, if the
dam is raised and a flood occurs, ~ur. '
rounding neighborhoods would be
swamped. Ironically. some of tI o~e
neighborhoods would be under w ter
evell if nothing is done - because the
Cherry Creek Reservoir would ise
that far before the dam collapsed.
During publi!: meetings in the m tro
area! this week, the eorps insisted H's
not weddM to anyone idea. but in-
stead is offering many alternative
The corps should be encouragel to
look at implementing a combInatio of
less costly, less intrusive proposal' _
such as impro~'ing the spillways tDd
reinforcing the earthen dam with C on-
crete - rather than one large, eX~ n-
siveplan like raising the dam's !lei ht
significantly.
Still. Coloradans should feel he. t.
ened that the corps seems willing to
keep its plans flexible and to Iistel1 to '
pubIicinput.
But more publie debate and ted l-
eal rleviews are needed - especia Iy
because all the scenarios, whether to
do something or nothing, carry 51 h.
grave implications.