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<br />V-I <br /> <br />SECTION V <br /> <br />FLOOD CONTROL ALTERNATIVES <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS <br /> <br />An environmental inventory of South Boulder Creek was prepared <br />for this project and is included in Appendix III. Generally, the inventory <br />shows that South Boulder Creek, from the mouth of Eldorado Springs <br />Canyon downstream to South Boulder Road, can be described as free from <br />significant detrimental impact due to development. The remainde r of the <br />stream to the confluence with Boulder Creek is described as suffering <br />severe impact from man's encroachment. <br /> <br />Recommendations regarding possible flood control measures took <br />the environmental evaluation into consideration. The flood control plan <br />focuses on preserving the areas where this impact has been minimal and <br />adopts measures in other areas to help restore them to their natural state. <br /> <br />These recommendations were considered when flood control plans <br />were selected for South Boulder Creek which would minimize the disruption <br />of the stream ecology. The use of storage basins combined with down- <br />stream soft-channel improvements appeared to provide the minimum dis- <br />ruption to the natural channel and the flood plain while remaining within <br />reasonable cost limits compared to other alternatives. The proposed con- <br />figuration would severely disrupt the area between South Boulder Road and <br />Baseline Road, however, the environmental inventory shows the impact of <br />development in this area to be already significant. Also the use of storage <br />basins allows usage of the land in a way that would provide recreation <br />benefits. <br /> <br />Construction of these flood control structures in a single area <br />allows the impact of ancillary structures to be reduced significantly in <br />magnitude and thus further reduces their impact on remaining stream <br />channels. <br /> <br />Under the proposed alternative, no flood control measures are <br />proposed for the area from Eldorado Springs to South Boulder Road which <br />is the section of the stream designated as the most- unaffected by man's <br />encroachment. Location of flood control structures in that reach of the <br />river is most undesirable with respect to the ecology of the stream. <br />Location of the storage basins downstream of Baseline Road could pos- <br />s ibly reduce the impact of flood control structures to an even greater <br />degree than the proposed construction site. However, location of <br />storage basins in these areas would be even more unacceptable since it <br /> <br />