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. . . Friday, July 12 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon Evolution of Local Flood Warning Systems and Early Notification Procedures in Denver, Colorado Kevin Stewart Urban Drainage and Flood Control District Denver, Colorado An effective flood warning system design must include a flood threat recognition system to detect and evaluate the threat as it develops, and alert local authorities concerning potential dangers. With the prediction/forecast technical support in place, internal communications should be considered the most important component of the flood warning system and are often identified as the weakest link when the systems fail. By developing and practicing plans which emphasize early notification procedures and communications, public safety officials can be better prepared to take appropriate preparedness actions and involve additional technical support personnel with warning decisions before flood damages or deaths occur. The total flood warning system must also provide for disseminating warnings to the public at risk. The system's success will ultimately be judged by the public's response to the warning, an element over which local officials sometimes have least control. This paper describes the flood warning system for Denver, Colorado and the surrounding region. The program's early notification procedures, hydro-meteorological forecast services, custom products, observation capabilities and equipment technologies have evolved from providing 17 years of flash flood predictions to emergency managers and public works agencies within the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District. The District serves a population of approximately two million people living in the six-county Denver/Boulder metropolitan area and operates one of the largest automated flood detection networks in the United States. 14