FLOOD04566

• County: Boulder
• Community: Boulder
• Stream Name: Gregory, Bear Can, Bluebell Can Creeks, Viele Chan
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Major Drainageway Planning Volume 1, Part C
• Date: 9/1/1970
• Prepared For: Boulder County
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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FLOOD DETENTION - SEDIMENT RETENTION RESERVOIRS

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This Master Plan for drainage in South Boulder includes some 20 signi-
ficant ponds for flood detention and/or sediment and debris retention.
These ponds play an important role In regard to drainage in South Boulder.

Construction of the ponds should not be thought of as only a means of
reducing flood peaks downstream, but they should be thought of as creat-
ing other long term benefits. Some of these long term benefits involve
reduced maintenance costs because the sediment and debris will be col-
lected at specific locations; water-oriented recreational opportunities
can be created in heavily urbanized areas; income can be realized from
sand, gravel and common fill sources; and open space can be developed.

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The North Boulder Report, in discussing the Fourmile Canyon Creek ponds
pointed out that the multi-use, multi-purpose concept was being satis-
fied with pond construction, and the same basic equation which is pre-
sented below holds true in South Boulder. The City is encouraged to
look seriously at the solid waste disposal opportunities in South Boulder,
even though at first glance solid waste disposal at these sites may seem
totally incompatible because of the high class neighborhoods.

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Flood Storage
Sediment Collection
Debris Collection
Solid Waste Disposal
Sand and Gravel Sales
Common Fill Sales

Equals

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Open Space
Greenbelts
Recreation

A new opportunity was developed with lower Skunk Creek ponds on the multi-
family residential lands between South Broadway and the Turnpike where the
pond concept was developed assuming that the land owner could probably in-
crease the value of his resIdential sites by orienting the building develop-
ment to water. In the arid west, of course, there can be distinct advan-
tages to the developer who Is far-sighted enough to Incorporate water into
his building program and who is willing ,to build apartment buildIngs or
condominiums over the water. If this concept is not well received, it
might be well to conclude that the pond layout and development should be
changed from that shown on the drawings. There will be some administrative
work to do in regard to water rights on Skunk Creek, particularly because
Skunk Creek Is used as a carrier for Anderson Ditch water. It is belIeved,
however, that an imaginative water attorney can overcome these problems so
that water can be detained for a short time period (few hours) on Its flow
path to the water right user downstream. The developer might find that
the purchase of a few inches of Anderson Ditch water would be useful in
maintaining the ponds as shown with a permanent pool.