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<br />1 <br /> <br />COSTS OF FLOODING TO DENVER <br /> <br />I. Introduction <br /> <br />r In view of the continued growth <br /> <br />in population along Colorado's Front <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Range, the increasing trend of hazardous floods in the west from Rapid City to <br /> <br />Big Thompson, and the rising costs of developed areas destroyed by these <br /> <br />floods, it is useful to reassess the vulnerability to flooding of Colorado's <br /> <br />important communiti~~ In the past, Colorado's cities have sustained high <br /> <br />losses due to flooding and in particular the 1965 flood was indeed costly to <br /> <br />them, Increasing development further demands analysis as to what would <br /> <br />be the cost to Denver, Colorado's primate city, if conditions similar to <br /> <br />the 1965 flood were to recur. <br /> <br />This study is an analysis of Denver's chanqing vulnerability and the costs <br /> <br />which will be encountered if Denver and the state expect to deai effec~ivelv <br /> <br />with floods which are certain to eventually occur. Denver has made a strong <br /> <br />effort to mitigate future flood costs and many structural measures have <br /> <br />been adopted, But have these efforts reduced Denver's vulnerability <br /> <br />significantly, or have the increasing population and development only <br /> <br />exposed the city and the state to much higher costs? This study is an effort <br /> <br />to answer these questions by projecting potential losses in Denver from <br /> <br />flooding. The hypothesis of this study is that despite the preventive <br /> <br />measures developed in Denver area since the 1965 flood, Denver's vulnerability <br /> <br />to flood damage is at least as great as that of the 1965 flood. This vul- <br /> <br />nerability represents a potentially exorbitant cost, <br /> <br />Historical Background of Rising Vulnerability to Flooding <br /> <br />High vulnerability to flooding is not new to Denver. Denver's first <br /> <br />major flood was in May, 1864. Damages were estimated from between $500,000 <br /> <br />to a million dollars. Frequer.t flooding continued to occur and by 1928, <br /> <br />the city had spent $475,000 for flood protection. Continued flooding in the <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />;- <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />-4- <br /> <br />.... , <br />