BOARD00949

• Board Meeting Date: 5/21/2001
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

lU;

In response, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) is promoting a new approach to
floodplain management called "No Adverse Impactll: The approach shifts the focus from current
techniques and standards for floodprone development to a focus that addresses the adverse impact
resulting from these local land use changes and how they can be planned for and mitigated. The .
proposed policy promotes fairness, responsibility, community involvement and planning, sustainable
development, and local land use management, while not infringing on private property rights. The
Flood Protection Section is expected to discuss how these concepts may be incorporated into a new
CWCB l.ong Range Plan. .

Arkansas River Basin Issues

Channel Capacity and Riparian Habitat Planning Study: In October 1999 we requested
assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers to exatnine the restoration of channel capacity and
riverine/riparian ecosystem values in the Arkansas River above John Martin Dam. The study
specifically encompasses the Arkansas River from qtero County line to John Martin Dam.

On May 4,2001, the Corps delivered the draft report for our review and approval. The report's
purpose is to develop and evaluate plans that can improve channel capacity for flood flows and
restore riverine and riparian habitat along the river above John Martin dam.

, ;
The CWCB will meet with the Arkansas River Steering Committee in La Junta in late May 2001 to
review and approve the document. It will then be s~nt back to the Albuquerque Corps for
finalization. A request for formal adoption by the ~oard will occur at the closest Board meeting to
Corps finalization.

Fountain Creek GIS Project Status: We provide4 $50,000 to the Pikes Peak Area Council of
Governments to conduct a GIS analysis ofthe Fountain Creek Watershed as part of an effort to
prepare a Watershed Plan to identify causes, and try to resolve, the extreme erosion and stream
instability exhibited by Fountain Creek during the flood of 1999. Building on existing GIS resources .
within the watershed, the GIS database will be used for planning, decision-making, and educ.ation.
The primary objective of the GIS effort is to visually identify changes over time and over space in the
stream's alignment and to identify the effects of those changes on the riparian corridor, on the health
of the watershed, and on infrastructure in or near thb stream.

On March 29 a meeting was held to update parties about the status of the project. Two database tables
were presented. One provided definitions and attributes for data items, and the other summarized the
common data attributes. that all Fountain Creek databases used for this project. Examples of the work
that had been done to date at specific sites were als~ shown. One example site is the Pinon Bridge
where a Pueblo County bridge failed during the 1999 flood. The GIS analysis Clearly shows some of
the geomorphic problems that make the bridge siteihazardous with regard to erosion and stream
. . I
tnlgration. f

The next progress meeting will be held on May 17. Most of the work for this GIS proj eet will have
been completed by then. The deadline for a final product is June 30. As additional funding becomes
available, further work will be conducted on the G1S program for the watershed plan. Meanwhile
other watershed plan work, like the project website, quarterly newsletters, and regular meetings by
. the basinwide watershed Technical Advisory Com;mittee to encourage consistency and coordination
between independent entities, will continue through funding from sources other than the CWCB. At
the July 2001 CWCB meeting or the September 2001 CWCB meeting a formal presentation of the
I
GIS project will be made. i

On April 12 the Pueblo Area Council of GoveI'Illrients also hosted a Fountain Creek Watershed
Elected Leaders' Caucus at Fountain-Fort Carson High School to discuss involving the Corps in .
projects to enhance the Fountain Creek Watershed. Local officials described some of the Watershed
Plan work that has been conducted to date. Corps ;personnel described their General Investigation
(GI) process. The Corps is about to begin the Rec~nnaissance Phase of the Gl of Fountain Creek. The
j

6