FLOOD01124

• County: Boulder
• Stream Name: South Boulder Creek
• Title: South Boulder Creek/ Flatirons
• Date: 12/5/1997
• Prepared For: Boulder
• Prepared By: Consultants
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Community File

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STATE OF COLORl\DO

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Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
721 Centennial Building
1 31 3 Sherman Street
Denver, Colorado 80203
Phone' (3031866-3441
fAX, [phone]

Rol' Romer
CovcrnOI

October 4, 1996

J~mes S. Lochheild
Execuhve Director, DNR

Oilrll:',C. tile, PE
D'f('ctor, CWOl

Mr. William R. Herbstreit
Director, Office of Financial Services
University of Colorado at Boulder
175 Regents Administrative Center
Campus Box 48
Boulder, Colorado 80309,0048

Dear Mr. Herbstreit:

Colorado Joint Budget Committee has requested the Colorado Water Conservation Board
to review the floodplain issues regarding the University of Colorado, Boulder acquisition of
certain lands in and near the South Boulder Creek floodplain in Boulder County, Colorado. The
subject site is known as the FLATffiONS/GATEWAY PROPERTY which consists of
approximately 308 acres of undeveloped land. A portion of the site is located in the 100- year
floodplain of South Boulder Creek. The questions which the Board's staff will address are
"what is the flood hazard at the site?", and "what are the impacts upstream and downstream of
the site?" These questions have created much interest among government officials, neighbors,
adjacent property owners, and open space proponents and the environmental community.

By this communication, I will provide you with the process we will use in evaluating the
flood hazard, floodplain issues, and flood mitigation measures at the site. We understand that
the University would like to receive our review comments and any recommendations by October
16, 1996. We plan to evaluate the flood hazard/risk information as it presently exists and that
which has been recently developed for the basin and the site by a contract consultant. Much
information does exist and more is likely to be presented by others regarding related floodplain
issues.

In the review, we will acknowledge that the historical floodplain has been affected by
man in a number of ways. Therefore, the idealistic approaches to floodplain management may
not be feasible, That is "putting the floodplain back the way it was". The floodplain issues can
be grouped into physical changes and floodplain management concerns which are:

Physical Changes

. Re,alignment of the natural stream channel in the late 1800's by the landowners,
these alignments have changed the natural overland flow paths;

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