Board Meeting 05/03/1985

• Board Meeting Date: 5/3/1985
• Description: Minutes, Agenda, Memorandums May 3, 1985
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

Background
In the past 20 years, there have been nine presidential •
disaster declarations due to flooding in Colorado. Between 20
and 30 major floods occur somewhere in Colorado every year. The
largest number of people killed in a single flood event is the
144 lives lost during the Big Thompson Canyon flood of July 31,
1976. At least 350 people have been killed from floods since
Colorado became a state. The most damaging flood occurred in
June, 1965, when almost $500 million in property was lost in the
Denver metropolitan area. Cumulative flood losses since
statehood are estimated to be over $1 . 6 billion at present value.
Floodprone areas have been identified in 212 cities and
towns and in all 63 Colorado counties. Approximately 150,000
people, or about 5 percent of the state ' s permanent population,
are now believed to be living in the floodplain. The total value
of property exposed to flood hazards is estimated to be over $6
billion. Only about nine percent of all structures in the
floodplain are insured and the amount of coverage is estimated to
be only about seven percent of the value of the exposed
property.
There are 120 federal and 2, 172 non-federal dams, or a total
of 2,292 high, moderate, and low hazard dams in the State of
Colorado. Since 1890, there have been at least 130 known dam
failures and incidents in Colorado. •
In short, as the population of the state grows, the
potential for higher flood damages also increases .
Existing Mitigation Efforts
Numerous federal, state, and local government agencies have
already developed programs under various authorities that take
flood hazard mitigation into consideration. At the state level,
four agencies are involved. The Colorado Water Conservation
Board is responsible for floodplain designations and for
assisting local governments with their floodplain management
programs. The Division of Water Resources is the agency
responsible for managing the state 's Dam Safety Program. The
Colorado Geological Survey is responsible for identifying
geologic hazards. The Division of Disaster Emergency Services is
responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness activities
among agencies at all levels of government.
Critical Issues
The integration of floodplain management, geologic hazard
management, dam safety, and emergency preparedness is important
to establishing an effective flood hazard mitigation plan among
state and local government agencies . The resolution of critical
MEMORANDUM -2- April 23, 1985