BOARD02598

• Board Meeting Date: 9/18/1974
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

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delineation is a changing thing because of . development in .the..floodplain
~tself: In other words, in the watershed and because of structures
being built. For instance in Denver in 1963, as I recall, the official
one hundred year flood or intermediate regional flood for the South
Platte River for Denver was about 20,000 cfs. That was valid until the
June 16, 1965 flood. Overnight the statistics changed because we had
a flood and suddenly the South Platte hundred year flood became 40,000
cfs. Now with the construction of Chatfield and with the subsequent
construction of Bear Creek we are going to find that the South Platte
River through Denver is going to have an intermediate regional flood
of 15,000 cfs. These things are then taken into consideration. The
floodplains are changed regularly.

The other question was in regard to liability of ditches. And as I
recall in the late 1950's, the Burlington ditch was hit with a lawsuit
because of the flooding of their siphon across Sand Creek. As 1 recall,
the ditch backed up behind the siphon, flowed into the canal, flowed
both downstream and upstream, broke the banks and they did as I recall,
lose that case in regard to damage caused by what they would have liked
to have argued was an act of God. That concludes my remarks, Mr. Chair-
man. Thank you.

Mr. Kroeger: Thank you, Mr. Wright. Do any of the members of the board
have questions?

Mr. Burr: Yes. I don't quite understand this twenty-year business as
what the board should have done.

Mr. Wri~ht: I am saying that let's say shortly after World War II the
state 0 Colorado and I am sorry if I identified the board as the
agency that should have done it. Let's say the state of Colorado should
have proceeded into the field of floodplain management much stronger.
In other words, the steps that we are taking in 1974 would much better
have been twenty years ago.

Mr. Burr: It is a poor time to bring it up now twenty years later.

Mr. Wright: Well, it is meant as an incentive for you not to waste any
time on the floodplain regulation matter.

Mr. Sparks: That is the story of life, Clarence. Our hindsight is
always better than our foresight.

Mr. Burr: And we need fellows like these to tell us what to do then.
I have been on here for quite awhile and I see these coming up all
the while.

Mr. Sparks: Right after 1950, when we got the Chatfield project autho-
rized, the board in conjunction with the Corps of Engineers held several
public hearings here in the metropolitan area pointing out the danger
of the South Platte River. The only people who showed up at those
meetings were people who didn't believe there was ever going to be a

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