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FLOOD01805
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Last modified
11/23/2009 10:40:46 AM
Creation date
10/4/2006 10:23:15 PM
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Floodplain Documents
County
Statewide
Community
State of Colorado
Title
A Utility Approach to Comprehensive Storm Water Management
Date
7/28/1983
Prepared For
Roger E. Krempel
Prepared By
Marc Engomen
Floodplain - Doc Type
Project
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<br />.:...... <br /> <br />I ntroducti on <br /> <br />The basic philosophy of stonnwater manage- <br />ment within urbanized areas has, oyer the past <br />several decades. changed dramatically. Nati on- <br />wide experience with the effects of inadequate <br />past practices indicates that stonnwater has not <br />always been well managed. and has in fact often <br />been mismanaged. This experience has led to a <br />major redirection. if not a revolution. in the <br />way communities perceive urban drainage and <br />attempt to deal with it effectively. <br /> <br />~, <br />" <br />'.-... <br />~:-;~~ <br /> <br />Stonmwater is a difficult resource to manage <br />primarily because drainage systems are constantly <br />in a state of flux. Even a natural drainage <br />system in its undeveloped condition is not <br />static: streams meander. bank.s erode. lakes are <br />filled by sediment, etc. Urbanization compounds <br />this problem. Urban development requires an <br />altogether new drainage system to achieve two <br />basic goals: (1) convenience, and (2) safety. <br />However. local governments have begun to realize <br />these two goals are not mutually achievable <br />without excessively hi9h costs. _t:ffective <br />stormwater management must strike a balance <br />between the el imi nation of inconvenience associ- <br />ated with ~tonmwater runoff and the protection of <br />life and property against flood hazard. <br /> <br />But success in stormwater management has <br />been elusive. Public works strategies tried and <br />proven in dealing with other municipal problems <br />have not always adapted well to drainage applica- <br />tions. Stormwater is a unique resource and <br />presents a unique chall enge to those who woul d <br />manage it well. Local governments have had to <br />develop creative new alternatives for meeting <br />this challenge. <br /> <br />';-i~ <br />.. -;,.~.-::> <br /> <br />The process of developing these alternatives <br />has been slow for several reasons. First of all, <br />the importance of storm drainage is usually only <br />apparent during floods. The public, through <br />their elected officials, seldom places storm <br />drainage high on their list of priorities during <br />annual budget processes. Particul arly in the <br />arid west" the thunderstorms of spring are all <br />but forgotten dur1ng the autumn scramble for <br />funds. Second. the concept of a comprehensive <br />stormwater utility with permanent. continuous <br />financing has only recently gained recognition as <br />an equitable and dependable approach to storm- <br />water management. Third. technical advances in <br />data collection and handling which facilitate <br />large scale drainage planning have been available <br />less than a decade. And finally. the continuing <br />evolution of drainage law, design practices and <br />environmental considerations has forced local <br />governments and drainage engineers to constantly <br />re-evaluate and redirect their stonnwater manage- <br />ment pol icies. <br /> <br />.- <br />I~ <br /> <br />In the past it was a generally acceptable <br />drainage practice to provide for the removal of <br />storm runoff from a property as quickly and <br />economically as possible. Development of the <br />entire reach of natural drainageways has made it <br />clear that such a policy can have disastrous <br />effects on downstream properties. To mitigate <br />these effects, detention facilities were required <br /> <br />: <br /> <br />within new developments to reduce the ratf of <br />runoff into natural drainageways. Altt:-::ugh <br />on-site detention is generally benfficial. e1,er. <br />ience has shown that the positive effects of such <br />detention can be maximized only when develope1 in <br />conjunction with basin-wide drainage plann;ng. <br />The natural conclusion of this evolution was a <br />basin-wide approach. And in 1979. the Urban ~and <br />lnsti tute (Ull) and the American Society of Civil <br />Engineers (ASCE) stressed in a joint publication <br />that local governments must begin to _study and <br />develop master plans for each drainage basin <br />within their jurisdiction to provide a basis for <br />decision making on proposed land develop~ent <br />practices. It was clear that the approach to <br />stonn drainage in the future would have to be <br />aimed at sound overall management rather than <br />hasty disposal. <br /> <br />The elements which must be considered in an <br />effective stormwater management effort are <br />numerous and diverse. Basin master planning. <br />f1 oodpl ai n admi oi strati on. cap; ta 1 improv~nts <br />programming. financing. maintenance and public <br />relations are only a few of these elements. To <br />integrate these in a successful stormwater <br />program represents an unprecedented challenge for <br />many local governments. <br /> <br />The City of Fort Collins. Colorado is not <br />unique in its attempt to better understand storm <br />drainage and develop a comprehensive strategy to <br />manage it effectively. Fort Collins. approach is <br />a synthesis of concepts. and ideas drawn from ~any <br />different sources. While information about <br />various aspects of urban storm drainage in ether <br />areas is available, there are few descriptions oJ <br />complete. in-place stonmwater management systems. <br />The purpose of this paper is to provide s~ch a <br />descri pti on. wi th the hope that some of the <br />information presented may be useful to other <br />local governments. <br /> <br />J <br />J. <br /> <br />Establishing A Framework <br /> <br />The framework of Fort Collins' storT.!'lo'ater <br />management program '.was establ i shed in the storm <br />drainage ordinance of 1976~ In this ordinance <br />the Ci ty Council aff; rmed two important drai nage <br />principles: first, that all real property within <br />a drainage basin will be benefited by the instal- <br />lation of an adequate storm drainage system; and <br />second. that the cost of installing an adequate <br />drainage system should therefore be assessed <br />against the real property in a basin. <br /> <br />These princip1 es are not easy for prcperty <br />owners to understand at fi rst 91 ance. but they <br />are the keys to the entire stonnwater management <br />concept. It is difficult for a property owner <br />who lives on a hill to understand how the con- <br />struction of a storm drain in a low-lying area is <br />a benefit to him. But stann drainage includes <br />much more than just flood control. Keeping <br />streets open to emergency vehi cl e traffi c, <br />maintaining ponds and open channels so they do <br />not become heal th and safety hazards. anc! pro- <br />moting the use of drainage facilities for recrea- <br />tional purposes all contribute to enhancing and <br />maintaining the qual ity of 1 ife for an entire <br />communi ty. <br /> <br />526 <br />
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