BOARD02102

• Board Meeting Date: 1/12/1998
• Description: Flood Section - Post-Flood Activities for the 1997 Flood Events
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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On July 29-30, 1997, slow-moving thunderstorms dumped large amounts of rainfall over the
Pawnee Creek basin in Weld and Logan counties and over the Schaefer Draw basin and other .
basins in Morgan County near Weldona. Floodwaters from Schaefer Draw and two irrigation
canals entered the community of Weldona late on July 29 and early July 30 while similar
damaging floodwaters from Pawnee Creek entered community of Atwood (west of Sterling and
north of U.S. Hwy 6) on July 30. Late July 30 and early July 31, floodwaters flowing east from
Atwood inundated the City of Sterling.

During the Presidential Declaration Incident Period (July 28 - August 12, 1997), storm systems
drenched other areas in northeastern Colorado as well as several counties in southeastern
Colorado. In addition, the Denver Metro Area received flooding rains plus the Clear Creek
County area to the west of Denver.

Flood Impacted Areas
The greatest impacts from the 1997 flood event occurred in the following areas (Larimer, Logan
and Morgan counties):

Larimer County
. Spring Creek drainage in Fort Collins
. Fairbrooke Channel area in western Fort Collins
. Clearview drainage area in northwest Fort Collins (Hollywood & Vine area)
. Colorado State University local drainage area

Morgan County
. Schaefer Draw north and into the Town of Weldon a

.

Logan County
. Pawnee Creek northwest/west of Sterling in Atwood, Logan County and the City of Sterling

Numerous streams and watercourses contributed to flood damages in the following additional
declared counties: Prowers, Crowley, Kiowa, Weld, Baca, Otero, Clear Creek, Phillips and
Elbert.

Flood Damae:es
. The heavy thunderstorm-generated rains along Colorado's Front Range and eastern high
plains caused severe flash flooding in many communities. In Fort Collins, five women
perished in the mobile home parks north of Spring Creek and west of College Avenue.
Numerous homes outside of the regulatory 100-year floodplain were damaged in the city as
well as unincorporated Larimer County. City services were overwhelmed as streets flooded,
power was lost in some locations and emergency services personnel worked to keep ahead of
ravaging floodwaters. The current damage estimate in the Fort Collins area is $200 million
(Denver Post article dated January 13, 1998).

In Morgan and Logan counties, the communities of Weldon a, Atwood and Sterling, respectively,
were all significantly impacted by floodwaters. Homes and businesses were heavily damaged by
slow moving floodwaters. Roads, bridges~ culverts and other stream crossings were damaged or .