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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />tit <br /> <br />counties. One such project includes development and publication of a revised "State Hazard Mitigation <br />Plan" (the state's "409 Plan" required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency). A draft of the <br />Plan was released to technical experts and others for peer review and Comment prior to final printing. <br />Another project involves FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which makes grant funds <br />available to cornmunities within the disaster areas. The grant process is competitive and requires formal <br />applications by interested local governments. For the 1999 disaster, the $800,000 available through <br />HMGP were awarded to Otero County for assistance in North La Junta. Otero County will participate in <br />an acquisition and relocation program to remove flood prone structures from high hazard areas. Finally, <br />we assisted the Corps' Albuquerque District with production of a report entitled "Post Flood Assessment <br />Report, Arkansas River, Southern Colorado". Copies of this report are available from the Corps or <br />CWCB offices. <br /> <br />The CWCB staff estimates that the total approximately $110 million damages were caused by <br />flooding in 1999. <br /> <br />Cherry Creek Dam Safety Study: Larry Lang had an extensive telephone conversation with Bill <br />Miller (Corps of Engineers, Omaha District) regarding the Corps' Probable Maximum Precipitation <br />(PMP) study for the Cherry Creek basin. We are advised that all Corps' study has been stopped by <br />congressional action that removed funding from the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. In addition, <br />$200,000 was removed from the Corps' Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account for Cherry Creek <br />Dam and Reservoir. <br /> <br />The Corps staff is presently assessing their study accounts to re-allocate/transfer $200,000 for <br />the performance of an independent review. The Corps is also drafting a proposal for an independent <br />peer review of the PMP study previously prepared National Weather Service. We have organized a <br />technical review team, chaired by Larry Lang, in order to address the needs and scoping activities for <br />an independent review of the Cherry Creek hydrology and hydraulics. The first meeting of the <br />technical committee was held on November 3, 1999, and the second meeting was held on November <br />16, 1999. Congressional insistence that the PMP study not proceed until a more independent review is <br />completed will require some revision of our plan; we will be in a better position to assess this need after <br />our meeting today with Corps and community representatives. <br /> <br />Arkansas River Basin Issues <br /> <br />Arkansas River Compact Meeting: The armual meeting of the Arkansas River Compact <br />Administration is scheduled to take place on December 7 in Garden City, Kansas. The ARCA will bid <br />farewell to Larry Trujillo and welcome Aurelio Sisneros as the new federal representative, hear reports <br />from officers, and discuss technical issues. Among the technical issues to be discussed are the continued <br />operation of USGS tributary gauges, Corps studies about charmel capacity below John Martin and Pueblo <br />Reservoirs, compact compliance efforts, Trinidad Lake operations and a review of a new John Martin <br />Reservoir accounting system. The ARCA will also elect new officers for the year 2000. <br /> <br />Greg Walcher and Harold Miskel are plarming to join our team for this meeting, so we will show a <br />very strong presence and be able to widen the number of useful contacts we maintain with both Kansas <br />and the federal agencies. I can't tell how seriously the recent hearings in Kansas vs. Colorado may affect <br />this meeting of the ARCA, yet, but our ability to connnunicate with David Pope (Kansas' State Engineer) <br />and his staff has seemed to improve slowly during the last year. The most sensitive and interesting ARCA <br /> <br />9 <br />