BOARD02253

• Board Meeting Date: 9/13/2004
• Description: Flood Section - Progress Report and a Proposal for the Modernization of the CWCB Watershed Restoration Program
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 721
Denver~ Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
WW"W.cwcb.state,co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

DATE:
SUBJECT:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members
Larry Lang, P.E., Chief, Flood Protection Section
Brian Hyde, Flood Protection Section
September 2, 2004
Agenda Item 18a, September 14-15, 2004 Board Meeting --
Progress Report and a Proposal for the Modernization of the CWCB
Watershed Restoration Program

Russell George
Executive Director

TO:
FROM:

Rod Kuharich .
CWCB Director

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

Background

Description of Watershed Restoration Planning Studies and Implementation Projects

.

The CWCB has been supporting local watershed efforts for approximately 10 years, and during that time watershed
planning studies and implementation projects initiated by local watershed groups have been carried out to address a
variety of specific local needs and issues. The needs and issues fall into four major categories:

. Stream Restoration
. Water Conservation
. Flood Hazard Mitigation
. Watershed Management

Stream Restoration needs and issues relate to the geomorphological (channel shape, slope, and stability) and
biological condition of the stream channel and adjacent riparian corridor and to the watershed conditions that affect the
stream corridor. Examples of events and conditions that can contribute to Stream Restoration needs in a watershed are
floods, droughts, wildfires, mining activities, agricultural practices, urbanization, and transbasin diversions into or out
of a watershed.

Water Conservation needs and issues relate to the ability to wisely use the appropriated water in a given watershed.
Examples of events and conditions that can contribute to Water Conservation needs are floods, droughts, designs of
water diversions that do not consider adequately stream conditions, population increases, and changes in land use (i.e.
agricultural to urban).

Flood Hazard Mitigation needs relate to the need to protect life and property from flood risks. Examples of events
and conditions that can contribute to Flood Hazard Mitigation needs are past development practices that have ignored
flood risks, increased runoff due to upstream urbanization, changes in flow characteristics due to flood events, and
underdesigned or poorly designed flood control facilities.

.

Watershed Management needs and issues relate to natural and man-made conditions in the watershed, water quality
and habitat impacts of various conditions and activities in the watershed (i.e. urbanization, mining, forest practices,

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

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