BOARD00961

• Board Meeting Date: 9/22/2003
• Description: Flood Section - Probable Maximum Precipitation Site-Specific Study for the Cherry Creek Reservoir-Study Findings and Recommendations
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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Engineers is more than twice the flood estimates prepared by other dam safety officials; and

WHEREAS, Probable maximum precipitation estimates in the western United States are
typically about 3 times the 100year rainfall event; and

WHEREAS, The United States Army Corps of Engineers has used 7 times the 100year
rainfall event; and

WHEREAS, The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service
have refused an independent peer review, even though the federal Energy Regulatory
Commission regularly requires such peer reviews as part of its licensing procedures for
hydro power facilities at darns, and the Colorado State Engineer has a similar policy for
reviews of probable maximum precipitation studies and is currently in phase II of a study
funded by Colorado Senate Bills 94029 and 97008 to develop an alternative model to predict
extreme rainfall amounts for basins above 5,000 feet mean sea level; and

WHEREAS, Such an independent peer review panel should consist of local experts in the
fields of extreme precipitation and flood hydrology that have knowledge of Colorado's
unique climatological conditions; and

WHEREAS, The March 5, 1999, "peer" review response submitted by the United States
Army Corps of Engineers is simply another inhouse review prepared by the National
Weather Service, is not an independent analysis, and does not address the full range of
issues that are typically addressed in a proper independent peer review; and

WHEREAS, The proposed construction of upstream dry dams will displace many
Coloradans from their homes and businesses and destroy hundreds of acres of active
agricultural land and open space; and

WHEREAS, Any government agency proposal to spend from $50 to $250 million of
taxpayer money must be based on data and assumptions that are as accurate as possible; and

WHEREAS, Because all alternatives being considered by the United States Army Corps of
Engineers will have substantial negative impact on homes and families near the dam and
upstream of the dam and adversely affect property values, the cost of any real estate that
would properly be condemned should be included in determining the cost of any alternatives
considered; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixtysecond General Assembly of the State of Colorado,
the House of Representatives concurring herein:

That no further funding of the United States Army Corps of Engineers should be provided

h ://www.state.co.us/govdir/legdir/sess1999/sres99/sjr023.htm

9/10/2003