FLOOD07020

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan for Colorado
• Date: 2/1/1998
• Prepared For: CWCB
• Prepared By: Kistner and Associates
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

1998 . CtJlDrado FlDtJd Hazard Mitigatitm Plan (4091

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ployees. The division's activrties are overseen by the
seven-member Mined Land Reclamation Board and
the four-member Coal Mine Board of Mine Examiners.

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in 1992, legislation was passed that created the Min-
erai, Energy and Geology Policy Board. This board
provides advice to the Department of Natural Re-
sources, the governor and the General Assembly on
improving efficiency, management data and records,
policy development and the future of Colorado's en-
ergy and minerals industry.

The Division of Minerals and Geology (DMR) is con-
cerned with flooding as rt relates to successful opera-
tion and reclamation of mining operations. The inter-
action of the mining and reclamation operations with
surface drainage is considered during the review of
mine permrt applications, inspections of ongoing oper-
ations, and evaluation of final reclamation. The major
floodplain problems and potential hazards associated
with mining are located primarilY in urban areas where
gravel is mined along major drainages. Adverse
effects of mining on flooding occur less frequently in
rural and mountainous areas, due to the sparse popu-
lation. The DMR, however, is concerned with the
re-filablishment of stable geomorphic landforms and
drainage regimes in all areas of mining. ,

During the review process or after inspection when a
major flood issue arises, the division may refer the
problem to the Colorado Warer Conservation Board
staff for review. Typical problems include the location
of large gravel stockpiles or berms related to gravel
mining operations within the floodplain and their effect
on flooding. .

The division derives its authorities for the minerals
program from 34-32-101 et seq. and for the coal
program, from 34-33-101 et seq. The authorities
under the minerals program are qurte general with
regard to surface drainage control, but the coal pro-
gram authorities are more specific. Under the coal
program, operators are required to prepare runoff
calculations for the volume of water in the 100-year,
24-hour storm and the peak flows for the 25-year,
24-hour storm.

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State Board of Land
Commissioners

The state Board of Land Commissioners manages 3
million acres of surface land and 4 million acres of
mineral rights that were given to Colorado at state-
hood by the federal government. State trust lands are
leased for a variety of activities, including grazing and
crop production, mining and oil and gas production
and recreation such as hunting. In 1996, board income
totaled around $23 million-most of which went to
support public education in Colorado.

3,2.1.2.8

During October 1997, at a meeting Greeley, the Col-
orado state Board of Land Commissioners approved
the publication and distribution of a draft set of rules
governin9 the implementation of the stewardship
Trust provision of Amendment 16.

Amendment 16 passed by Colorado voters in Novem-
ber 1996, directed the board to designate 295,000-
300,000 acres of rts 3-million-acre surface land asset
into a stewardship Trust In order to enroll land in this
trust, the board must determine that the land is valu-
able primarily to preserve long-term benefits and re-
turns to the state. The board manages all its assets for
the benefrt of eight trusts 4th largest of which provides
income for kindergarten 121h-grade education.

The amendment slates that land within the trust will be
managed to .maximize options for continued steward-
ship, public use or further disposrtion" by allowing only
those uses that protect and enhance "the beauty,
natural values, open space and wildlife habitat. on the
lands.

. Other provisions of Amendment 16 call for steward-
ship incentives for agricultural lessees and for addi-
tional benefits to public education. The amendment
also changed the board structure from three full-time,
salaried positions to a citizen board of five with experi-
ence in public education, natural resource conserva-
tion, production agriculture, local government and
Iand-use planning.

The state Land Board administers about 4 million
acres of land. Most of this land is leased for grazing,
growing agricultural crops, and pumping oil. The main
interest of the Land Board .is to assure that, as a
minimum, the income from any property will rernain
the same during development and that, as the property
improves in value, the Land Board will receive a share
of the appraised value. None of these uses have much
significance in terms of floodplain management

However, the Land Board also leases some land in
urban or urbanizing areas. Clearly some of this land
will include floodplain areas. The most likely places
for such development will be the Front Range area and
the Western Slope energy and recreation development
areas. The leases on these properties are long term
leases where homeowners would own their homes and
lease the land on which they sit

3.2.1.3 Department of Local Affairs

The Executive Direclo~s Office of the Department of
Local Affairs (DOLA) provides budgetary and policy
direction and supervision to the various divisions and
operational units within the department

Decision-making authority for most department grant
and loan programs is the responsibility of the execu-

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