FLOOD05142

• County: Dolores
• Community: Rico
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Title: Floodplain Information Report
• Date: 9/1/2000
• Prepared For: Rico
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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PREFACE

This floodplain Information Report (FIR) is part of a program by the Colorado Water Conservation
Board (CWCB) to make approximate floodplain maps prepared by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) easier for local governments to use. This CWCB report provides
limited engineering information to support the approximate delineations on the FEMA maps, and it
provides floodplain management information to guide the local governments in the use of the maps.

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The official floodplain information for Rico is the flood Insurance Rate Map (FlRM), dated August
5,1986. The ARM was prepared by FEMA and contains approximate floodplain delineations. In
addition, a flood hazard study containing flood hazard maps was prepared for the Town in 1995 by
Wilbur Engineering, Inc. This study contains both detailed and approximate floodplain
delineations. The approximate floodplains in the FEMA analysis do not include any engineering
information to describe basis of the approximate floodplain mapping. However, the approximate
floodplains in the Wilbur Engineering report contain some hydrology and hydraulics information.
Therefore, the initial purpose of this report is to provide the Town with limited supporting
information for the approximate floodplain delineations and verification of the Wilbur Engineering
report. This FIR includes a description of available hydrologic information for major flooding
sources within or adjacent to the Town. In addition, the FIR gives the Town some basic
information about floodplain management and it provides some alternatives that could be
considered in formulating and implementing floodplain management objectives.

A second function of this report is to assure that the ARM meets the basic technical requirements
for designation and approval by the CWCB. Without the inclusion of basic engineering
information, the approximate floodplain delineations shown on the Rico flood Insurance Rate
Maps cannot qualify for CWCB designation. Colorado statutes require that local governments
obtain from the CWCB the designation and approval of floodplain information for its use in
regulatory purposes. This FIR provides a means for the ARM to meet that statutory objective. As
new and more detailed floodplain information becomes available, the approximate floodplain areas
shown on the ARM panels will become superseded. The CWCB will designate and approve new
information, and rescind old information as appropriate.

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