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<br />PFEFACE <br />~- <br /> <br />Dam Failure is a particularly t.hreatening hazard in Colorado, despite <br />the many structural and nonstrllctura.l efforts being taken to improve <br />dam safety. <br /> <br />The concerns of this paper and of the Division of Disas1:er Emergency <br />Services center around the urqent ne~ls for: <br /> <br />public awareness and education concerning this vulnerability; <br /> <br />warning <br />protect <br /> <br />and evacuation planning by local gove.mments to better <br />Coloradans who live in potential i.nundation zones. <br /> <br />Colorado has 236 inundation zemes that would be impacted should failure <br />occur of a "high hazard" dam -- a large nwnber of lives are at stake. <br />There are also 348 "moderate Ilazud" dams that baLsically threaten prop- <br />erty. People should know wl'let:,er or not they live in an inundation <br />zone; they should know what to do if a dam failure should occur; they <br />should demand effective planning. <br /> <br />There are also means to mitigat.e this hazard. Local governments and <br />the legislature should consider a range of strategies designed to take <br />advantage of both structural ancl nonstructural opportunities, e.g. why <br />not buy land as "open space" below d,]ms so that more high hazard dams <br />are not created through developm',nt? <br /> <br />Eventual disaster recovery coests can be dramati.c.ally l:-edUCed by taking <br />advantage of some of the thoughts in this paper and in the State's <br />Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan - "hieh has been s"nt to Legislators and <br />local government leadership. Di::;aster prevention is always cost effec- <br />tive. <br /> <br />/J . /) (' <br />// 'd If: J;; }~ <br />./ J hn P. By.n <br />~ Dir~'t~r (J <br />