BOARD01029

• Board Meeting Date: 5/22/2000
• Description: Flood Section - Rio Grande Basin - Alamosa Flood Protection Project
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natnral Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
.nver. Colorado 80203
,one: [phone]
FAX: (303) 866,4474
Http://cwcb.5tate.co.us

Q

Bill Owens
Governor

MEMORANDUM

Greg E.Walcher
Executive Director

From:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
Larry Lang l-~V

Peter H. Evans
CWeB Director

To:

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

Date: May 17,2000

Re: Agenda item ll.g Alamosa Flood Protection Project

PROJECT OVERVIEW

On June 16-17, 1985, the City of Alamosa, Colorado experienced a moderate flood event that threatened the
community, Through a unified flood fight operation by tbe City of Alamosa, Alamosa County, State of
Colorado agencies, and the Corps of Engineers, the coIt11Ilunity was spared a major damaging flood event. The
1985 flood demonstrates that the existing community flood control project was not capable of passing a large
flood event. In June 1986 and 1987, the Rio Grande was under flood, again! These major flood experiences
.monstrated the need for the implementation of some type of meaningful flood mitigation measures for the
.ty of Alamosa and its neighbors,

In response to the community flood risk, the City of Alamosa and Alamosa County made requests to state and
federal agencies to assist with the formulation of a flood protection plan, Through the cooperative efforts of the
Colorado Water Conservation Board, Department of Local Affairs, and Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque,
District, the community has a completed flood protection project which was officially accepted on October 22,
1998, The route for this success story which began with the June 16 -17, 1985 flood event and ended with a
completed mitigation project, is expressed in the attached project chronology,

ACK.i~OWLEDGEMENTS

There are many individuals and agency officials that can be credited for bringing this project to fruition, Special
attention should given to the Honorable Mayor Farris Bervig; Michael Hackett, City Manager; Representative
Lewis Entz; and The District Engineers for the Corps of Engineers, The Alamosa Flood Protection Project is a
project that is very friendly to the natural environment and provides the community with 100- year flood
protection,

A presentation of events for this successful project will be made and viewed on the CWCB San Luis Valley
Field Trip on May 23, 2000.

L:J/boardmem/may 2000/l! g.doc

.

Flood Control and Floodplain Management -Larry Lang, Chief. Water Project Planning and Construction- Mike Serler, Chief. Instream Flows and Water
Rights Investigations-Dan Merriman, Chief. Interstate Streams Investigations-Randy Seaholm, Chief. Office of Conservation Planning- Wiltiam Srancon,
Chief. Personnel and Budget -Susan Maul, Chief