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. . . ,. . . Colorado Water Conservation Board Department of Natural Resources 721 Centennial Building 131 3 Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 Phon., (3031 866-3441 FAX,0031866,4474 ~ATE OF COLORADO - Roy Romer CoV(!fno. October 4, 1996 l"mes S. Lochhe.=ld ExeC\llive Oiredor. DNR D.lriesC Lilc. PE Dirt.c[or. eWCB Mr. William R, Herbstreit Director, Office of Financial Services University of Colorado at Boulder 175 Regents Administrative Center C3Jllpus 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 FLATffiONSfGATEWAY 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, 1 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 hazardfrisk 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 nUiUber 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; 1