FLOOD06661

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Mitigation Success Stories in the United States
• Date: 10/10/1991
• Prepared By: Association of State Floodplain Managers
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

Limon, Colorado Multi-Objective Flood
Mitigation Project
BACKGROUND

The Town of Limon needed to mitigate floodplain problems created by actions of the
long-bankrupt Rock Island Railroad. Past actions by the railroad had resulted in
enlargement of the floodplain to cover almost 1/3 of the Town of Limon. The rail line is
currently owned by Mid-States Port Authority and operated by Kyle Railways, lne. of
Kansas and offers a valuable component of agriculture grain shipping for area fanners.
Neither the Town of Limon, Mid-States nor Kyle had the resources needed to mitigate
the problem. By town ordinance, development was prohibited within the floodplain
as long as it existed.

PROJECT

The project consisted of various phases: 1) channelization of the drainageway, 2)
placement of 70 feet by 100 feet of concrete box culverts, 3) removal of silt from an
existing highway structure, 4) removal and replacement of railroad tracks,S) creation of
wetlands for the COOT wetland banking program. Representatives from the Town of
Limon, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Department of Transportation
(CDOT), Soil Conservation Service, East Central Council of Local Governments, Kyle
Railways, Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), and Mid-States Port
Authority began to meet regularly in 1992 to attempt to find a way to mitigate the
problem. A key early component was the discovery that a fishing pond could serve a
portion of the required channelization and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (OOW)
became another partner. As a result, the Town of Limon began to coordinate, apply for
and manage a unique flood mitigation funding package.

BENEFITS

Not only did the project physically remove a large portion of Town from the floodplain,
but the resulting 1.1 acre fishing pond is a favorite activity of youth in the community.
In addition:

1. Over 400 properties have been physically removed from the loo-year floodplain.

2. Residents and businesses in the original floodplain will be saving the annual costs of
flood insurance.

3. The Town will be allowed to develop open space initiatives in the area of the
floodplain without costly and time-conswning restrictions.

4. The partnerships developed between individuals and agencies continue to benefit all.

5. lmproved channel conveyance was achieved at the Colorado Highway 71 bridge.

PROJECT COST
$850,000

FUNDING SOURCE

Conunwuty Development Block Grant funds of $225,000; a Local Rail Freight
Assistance Program Grant of $209,255; a Fishing Is Fun Grant of $114,934; a
Transportation Enhancement Grant of $59,414; in-kind services of over $10,000 from COOT to remove silt under the highway bridge; over $75,000 of in-kind rail removal
and re-installation; perpetual easements from Mid-States Port Authority and Kyle
Railways, and $50,000 in cash from the Town of Limon.