March 4 2008 Snowmelt Preparation E-Mail (2)

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Attachment A Background Information The Department of Natural Resources, through the Colorado Water Conservation Board, is actively engaging in preparatory activities in response to the high snowpack conditions that are currently prevalent within manywatersheds throughout Colorado. On a regular basis throughout the snowmelt flood season, the CWCB Flood Protection Program will disseminate pertinent and updated information to interested parties through email, the CWCB website, and other means as necessary. In addition, the CWCB intends to perform the following activities: 1. The CWCB will Chair a Flood Task Force Meeting on March 17th (and several meetings thereafter during the flood season) to assemble appropriate experts, gather critical data, and disseminate flood related information. An agenda can be found here: Flood Task Force Meeting Agenda 2. Daily Flood Threat Bulletins, prepared by a qualified meteorologist under contract to the CWCB, will be posted to our website beginning May 1st and continuing throughout the flood season. This service was highly utilized in past years and we have received excellent feedback on its usefulness. As you know, the peak of snowmelt runoff rarely, if ever, occurs before May 1st in Colorado, but staff is already monitoring snowpack conditions on a daily basis. 3. Weekly mass email updates will be transmitted to local officials and other interested parties during critical times of flooding or potential flooding. 4. Announcements, links, and key flood tips are already posted on our website. This includes the need for homeowners to purchase flood insurance policies well in advance of actual flooding. 30-daywaiting period There is a mandatory for flood insurance policies to go into effect once they are written. 5. The annual spring flood news release will be prepared and distributed by CWCB staff once the March 1st snowpack information becomes available. 6. Community Assistance Visits are already scheduled in several key areas of the state to address floodplain ordinances, permits, mapping, and insurance questions. In addition, flood insurance workshops are already being organized and conducted in various regions of the state based on requests from local officials. 7. Coordination with FEMA occurs on a regular basis, and one of our staff members will be designated as the State Flood Mitigation Officer in the event of a Presidentially declared flood disaster. Also, the CWCB Flood Response Fund is established and ready to go in the event that flood documentation, technical assistance, and data are needed to support local and federal efforts. 8. Several federal and state grants are available to communities on an annual basis for disaster mitigation assistance, and our staff is available to assist potential applicants with the process. 9. Coordination with the Director and staff of the Colorado Division of Emergency Management is already happening, and further coordination with county and local emergency managers will occur as appropriate. It is important to note that actual snowmelt flooding this season may or may not occur depending on several important variables. High snowpack alone does not necessarily translate to high runoff and subsequent flooding conditions. However, it is always possible that given the right combination of snowpack, daily high and low temperatures, snowmelt timing, and other variables that flooding could occur. For example, a rapid melting of mountain snowpack due to 7 straight days of warm temperatures could result in an actual flood problem. On the other hand, the gradual melting of that same snowpack, possibly combined with sublimation from high winds, could result in a more uniform and less threatening runoff situation.