The Open Channel Summer 2006

• Year: 2006
• Title: The Open Channel
• Author: Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers
• Description: CASFM: Your Guide to stormwater and floodplain management in Colorado
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

History of CASFM
The Colorado Association of
Stormwater and Floodplain Man-
agers' (CASFM) initial organization-
al meeting was held on July 27,
1989 at the Colorado Water Conser-
vation Board offices in Denver Col-
orado. Ideas exchanged included:
promoting public awareness, pro-
moting professional status, legisla-
tive activities, hosting workshops,
and hosting the 1991 ASFPM Annu-
al Conference. Bylaws were adopted
later that year on October 18, and
the State of Colorado issued a Cer-
tificate of Incorporation a month
later on November 21. The initial
elected Board of Directors were: Dan
Bunting, Bill DeGroot, and Bob
Kistner. The First Annual CASFM
Conference was held May 17 -18,
1990 in Vail.
What CASFM does
CASFM is an organization of pro-
fessionals whose members are involved
in floodplain management, flood haz-
ard mitigation, stormwater manage-
ment, the National Flood Insurance
Program, and flood preparedness,
warning, and recovery. CASFM has
grown to be a respected voice in flood -
plain management practice and policy
in Colorado. CASFM represent the
interests of flood hazard specialists
from local and state government, con-
sulting engineers, the research commu-
nity, the insurance industry, and the
fields of engineering, hydrologic fore-
casting, emergency response, water
resources, planning, and others.
CASFM has grown to a member-
ship of over 500 since its formation in
1989. Today, in our efforts to hold to
the policy statements above, bimonth-
ly general meetings are held at different
locations, usually in the greater Denver
J
area; workshops and training classes are
held several times each year; field trips
occur as projects dictate; and an Annu-
al Conference is held each fall.
CASFM policies:
The CASFM organizational meet-
ings produced the following Policy
Statements:
1. To promote those plans, projects,
legislation and ordinances that
reduce the threat to the health and
safety of the people of Colorado
due to flooding and stormwater,
decrease existing flood and
stormwater hazards, and mitigate
future flood and stormwater dam-
ages.
2. To support comprehensive flood -
plain and stormwater planning by
an interdisciplinary team approach
that is designed to achieve optimal
integration of structural and non-
structural flood damage reduction
techniques that are realistic, feasi-
ble, practical, and sensitive to natu-
ral system forces.
3. To promote basinwide planning for
solving flooding and stormwater
problems that transcend political
boundaries and jurisdictions.
4. To promote interstate coordination
of flood damage and stormwater
abatement projects, programs, and
ideas.
5. To disseminate scientifically based
information on floods, flood dam-
age reduction and urban and rural
stormwater management to the
public and decision makers and
provide for a greater awareness of
risk among existing and prospective
floodplain users.
6. To promote the free and open
exchange of ideas between the many
disciplines and special interest
groups that comprise the association.
7. To objectively review proposals for
flood damage reduction and
stormwater management and rec-
ommend changes to those aspects
of the plan which encourage unwise
use of floodprone areas which will
result in greater future flood losses.
8. To encourage cooperation and coor-
dination among all occupants of
flood prone lands so that flood dam-
age reduction techniques will not
adversely impact adjacent communi-
ties and individuals.
9. To encourage more detailed map-
ping and study of flood prone areas
including the identification of areas
in the floodplain which are signifi-
cantly more hazardous using specif-
ic criteria such as depth of flow,
velocity, rise or any combination
thereof.
10. To advance the exchange of informa-
tion, concepts, and approaches for
innovative techniques in flood dam-
age reduction and stormwater man-
agement through the proper and
effective coordination of activities of
various agencies, Federal, state and
local, involved in flood related stud-
ies or work.
11.To provide and promote training
and assistance programs to aid local
governments in the development of
rational, long term flood damage
reduction and stormwater manage-
ment plans and programs.
12.To provide information in terms
comprehensible by the general pub-
lic.
13. To encourage the development of
consistent floodplain regulations in
regions of the state which have
mutual concerns.
14.To encourage applied and basic
research directed at understanding
flood and stormwater processes and
problems in Colorado.
Summer 2006 7