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I. BACKGROUND A. INTRODUCTION On the night of July 12, 1996, a thunderstorm occurred in the area of the community of Buffalo Creek, Colorado, The storm produced heavy precipitation over a short period of time, A flash flood occurred along Buffalo Creek, Sand Draw, Spring Gulch, the North Fork of the South Platte River (North Fork) below its confluence with Buffalo Creek, and several other tributary streams in the area, Two lives were lost as a direct result of the flooding, Roads, bridges, water lines, and other utility lines were damaged or destroyed, Numerous homes, outbuildings, and vehicles were damaged or destroyed as welL A large quantity of sediment and debris was carried from the watershed and deposited along the affected stream reaches. Although the geographic area affected was smaller than in some other floods, the July 12 Buffalo Creek flood event was truly a disaster. Other smaller scale floods have occurred in Buffalo Creek between June and September of 1996 as well, In May of 1996, less than two months before the July 12 flood event, a wildland fire burned about 12,000 acres of forested area in the Buffalo Creek vicinity, The fire burned intensely and quickly, leaving behind charred timber and a barren landscape devoid of vegetation and ground cover. The burned soils exhibited hydrophobic (water repelling) properties, and the burned area's natural erosion control and runoff inhibiting characteristics were altered by the fire, Those conditions, in conjunction with a heavy rainstorm on July 12, were the recipe for disaster in Buffalo Creek. B, PURPOSE The purposes ofthis report are to summarize the May 1996 Buffalo Creek wildland fire; summarize the July 12, 1996 Buffalo Creek flash flood event; collate pre- and post-flood mitigation strategies developed by various government agencies and private entities; and to summarize that information for use by community members and County officials, Some of the strategies presented in this report either have been completed or are currently being implemented for Buffalo Creek, This document can serve as an aid in completing mitigation activities for the 1996 flood events, and it can serve as a reference or guide for mitigation should any future flood disaster occur in the community, C. SCOPE This report is intended to be a general guide for pre- and post-flood mitigation for use by local officials and community members. There has been a tremendous amount of time, money, and effort expended in response to the Buffalo Creek disasters by a variety of public agencies, private entities, community members, and volunteers. This report attempts to pull together as much relevant information as possible from available sources in order to provide a single, comprehensive flood mitigation document, This document is not intended to provide all of the details for every possible mitigation strategy, however it does provide general information and some specific information that should be helpful to those involved with the mitigation effort, 1