FLOOD05212

• County: Larimer
• Community: Fort Collins
• Stream Name: Boxelder Creek, Spring Creek, Dry Creek
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Flood Control for Boxelder Creek at Fort Collins
• Date: 2/1/1993
• Prepared For: Fort Collins
• Prepared By: US Army Corps of Engineers
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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CIIAYfER5 - PLAl'iFORMULATlON

NONSTRVCTURAL MEASURL~

PLANNING OBJECID'FS

NO ACTION
The no-action plan would include the measures most likely to be implemented
by local interests if no Federal action were taken by the Corps. The City of Fort
Collins and Larimer County would continue to participate in the National Flood
Insurance Program, would continue to implement necessary flood plain zoning, and
would continue to use the existing irrigation canals for flood control. Also,itislikely
that the City and/or County would implement some of the channel improvements
recommended by Gingery in the Dry Creek drainageway plan; however, neither the
City nor the County may be able to construct any channel improvements for many
years. Consequently, the immediate flood threat from Dry Creek would not be
resolved by taking no action. The no-action alternative does not resolve the flood
problem, but it is shown here as the baseline condition to which other alternative
measures and plans can be compared.

The planning obje.::tivesofthisreconnaissance-level slud)'include the following:
. Determine if there are economically feasible and environmentally acceptable
solutions for reducing or eliminating the flooding problem on Dry Creek at Fort
Collins and in Larimer County and, if so, to identify at least one economically
feasible flood control alternative;
. Determine if further flood control studies are warranted;
. Establish the degree of Federal interesl infurthcr studies and construction;

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. DelCnnine if there isanon-Federal sponsor that is v.illing to cost-share any
feasibility-phase studies that maybe warranted.

FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION MEASURES CONSIDERED

FU)OD PROOflNG
The flood proofing alternative consists of elevating buildings or their contenl~
lIsing various techniques; constructing protective walls, berms, or levees around
individual structures; or rehabilitating the structures' extcriors and openings with
water-resistant materials. The arlvanl.'1ee,~ anrl r1;"'rlv"_n,".g~~ ')f t.1J... s'..'''''..'!1!.l
appruachc~ arc as foliows.
. Temporary Closures. The addition of tempomry watertight closures to
doors and windows which a..re subject to floodi.'"1g can reduce flood damages
signiflcantly at a fraction of the oostofother flood proofrng techniques. The use of
temporary closures requires that sufficient wami!:g time be available for their
installation and the remainder of the buildings be watertight and eapa-hk of
withstanding the hydraulic loads accompanying flooding. The flood warning time on

The measures considered to resolve the flood prohlems include both
nonMructural and slnlcturnl me..\.~'lres. The non_~tmclural me<lSIlTt'S mnsirl",r..J1 W,",Tt'

no action, flood proofmg, flood warning and emergency evacuation, flood Insurance,
and flood plain wning. The structural measures considered were diversion channels,
channel improveme.'1ts, dan"lSand levee;<;.

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