BOARD01776

• Board Meeting Date: 3/22/2005
• Description: Flood Section - 2005 Flood and Water Presentation Regarding Past, Present and Future Outlooks by John Henz, HDR Engineering Inc.
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

/f
,I

STATE OF COLORADO

.

Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Shennan Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

DATE:
RE:

Russell George
Colorado Water Conservation Board Members Executive Director
Larry Lang, Chief Flood Protection Program Rod Kuharich
Joe Busto, Flood Protection Program CWCB Director
March 9,2005 Dan McAuliffe
Agenda Item 19 Deputy Director
Flood Protection - 2005 Flood and Water Presentation regarding the Past, Present
and Future Outlooks by John Henz, HDR Engineering Inc.

TO:
FROM:

.

Introduction
2005 has demonstrated that it can snow in Colorado, the snowpack and watershed snow water equivalent
levels south of 1-70 is much above average, The CWCB provides information to Colorado communities
and interested citizens regarding this year's flood potential, (attachment), The Board's Flood Response is
designed to address possible flood threats in Colorado and in high snowpack run off conditions. Flood
Outlook reports are prepared cooperatively from the members of the Colorado Flood Task Force and are
posted on the CWCB website. Additionally, any communities within the state that have been identified as
being at risk are emailed and/or faxed the reports as an early warning measure, The first meeting of the
Colorado Flood Task Force for 2005 is scheduled for April 6, 2005 at the NRCS offices in Lakewood,

CWCB Sprine: Flood Preparedness Activities
. Chair Flood Task Force Meetings to monitor and report on flood threats,
. Press release reminding communities to be flood aware and the need for purchasing and updating
flood insurance in flood prone communities.
. SNODAS snowpack mapping project to develop early warnings for basin specific flood threat
potential (2005 will be the first opportunity to use SNODAS for flood threat potential).
. Meetings with locals for flood preparedness are being scheduled for late March and early April.
The will be federal and state representative there to discuss accessing technical assistance and
flood related programs.
. The CWCB website will have a link for the general public to access flood inundation and
floodplain maps in the Southwest portion of the State.

Flood and Water Outlook Presentation
John Henz, a senior meteorologist with HDR Engineering Inc., has been an active member of the
Colorado Flood Task Force since 1995. John has been providing long-term flood and drought forecasts to
clients in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana and Idaho since the mid 1980's. This
presentation will address past, present and future water year outlooks,

.

Colorado Water Consetvation Board
Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply'Protection. Conservation and Drought Planning