FLOOD02650

• County: La Plata
• Stream Name: Animas River
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Title: Hydrology Addendum to FIS La Plata County Unincorporated Areas
• Date: 5/21/2002
• Prepared For: La Plata County
• Prepared By: Montgomery Watson
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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June 29, 2001

Mr. Butch Knowlton
Building Official
La Plata County
1060 E. 2nd Ave.
Durango, Colorado 81301

Dear Mr. Knowlton:

I woutd like to take this opportunity to inform you about the Colorado Water Conservation Board's (CWCB)
Floodplain Designation and technical assistance programs. Designation and approval of the existing floodplain
mapping for your community would enhance your ability to regulate the l00-year floodplains more effectively.
State enabling law for local zoning and subdivision regulation requires that technical infonnation used for
regulation of floodprone areas be designated and approved by the CWCB. Designation and approval of the
floodplain mapping by the CWCB would provide benefits by helping the community to exercise its zoning
powers and to help reduce flood risks to new development in the identified floodplain.

The "Flood Insurance Study, La Plata County, Unincorporated Areas, May 21, 2001" that was prepared by
the Federal Emergency Management Agency includes approximate and/or detailed floodplain information for a
number of streams in the county. On your behalf, the CWCB is proposing possible designation and approval of
the Flood Insurance Study at its July 2001 Board meeting.

The CWCB may consider the designation and approval of floodplain infonnation either by request of a
community or by acting on its own initiative. The first method, which is more preferable, requires that we
receive a letter of request from you prior to the scheduled Board meeting. We would appreciate it if you could
send us a request letter using the attached "sample request letter" as a guide.

The engineering consulting firm of Montgomery Watson in Denver will be assisting CWCB with the floodplain
designation process. Either myself or an engineer with Montgomery Watson will be calling you soon to talk
about the designation process and to answer any questions you may have about your floodplain information.
Please call me at [phone] if you have any immediate concerns regarding this issue. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Thomas W. Browning, P.E.
Flood Control and Floodplain Management Section