06d

• Board Meeting Date: 5/20/2008
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

FLOODPLAIN MAP MODERNIZATION UPDATE -Coordination efforts continue with
FEMA and local communities in the effort of properly identifying the risk behind levees. The County
projects which are going through levee and/or landforms which are acting like levees mapping updates
are: Boulder, Pueblo, El Paso, Weld, and Morgan Counties. Counties with known levees that are not
currently going though mapping updates are Prowers, Mineral, Alamosa, and Las Animas.
FY08 projects: Scoping meetings were held in Otero, Rio Grande, Elbert, Gunnison, Montrose,
and Morgan Counties for the possible Colorado FYOB countywide DFIRM projects. Due to
budget constraints, issues relating to levees and the need to map the floodplain risk without levee
conditions in El Paso, Pueblo and Boulder Counties, and County needs, not all scoped Counties
will have a countywide DFIRM project started during FEMA FYO8 funds. Rio Grande, Elbert,
Montrose and Morgan Counties will be pursued for the new Countywide DFIRM project for the
year. Project requests for the other counties will be submitted this year, but will be funded
another year.
FY07 Counties: The base maps have been completed for Park, Delta and Summit Counties and
floodplain digitization has begun. The base map creation for El Paso County has been delayed
due to a GIS licensing agreement. Topography development has started using County provided
LIDAR points, once complete this data will be used to redelineate all of the floodplains within El
Paso County. Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) has started. E1 Paso County has the highest
record LOMRs for CWCB DFIRM project currently at a number of 75 and growing.
Coordination has begun with the State, FEMA, the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County
in acquiring certification of the Templeton Gap Floodway levee which if decertified could place
most of Colorado Springs in the 100-year floodplain.
FY 06 Counties: Weld County detailed study work continues to progress. Teller Archuleta,
Weld, and La Plata Counties will be going preliminary in 2008. The Fremont County and Clear
Creek County detailed studies have been submitted to FEMA for review, once the last of the
studies have been accepted they will be integrated into the DFIRM as part of the Physical Map
Revisions (PMR) project for each County. It was found with Clear Creek County that a Master
Drainage plan 100-year flows significantly exceed that of the effective FEMA flows and that
Idaho Springs may not be mapped showing accurate risk. FEMA and their consultant met with
Idaho Springs and Clear Creek County to discuss this. FEMA is looking into a possible study to
update the floodplain through Idaho Springs. The Pueblo County Arkansas River Levee
floodplain study has begun, finalization is still on hold as data from the City of Pueblo detailed
studies are being reviewed by FEMA. From the Arkansas River analysis it will be determined
which sections of the Arkansas River levee and Wild HorselDry Creek levee need to be
recertified by the Pueblo Conservancy District.
FY 05 Counties: All detailed studies for Mesa County have been completed, reviewed and
accepted by FEMA. The Garfield Counties are completed and the Countywide project is delayed
due to a USGS study that has been reviewed by Michael Baker Jr., Inc. (FEMA's NSP) and we
are waiting for comment resolution. The Montezuma County DFIRM will go effective
September 28th 2008.
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