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1188 - ClJltJrado FItHJd Hazard Mitigatitln P1i111 (488) 3.3 e . Great Sand Dunes National Monument . Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument . Hovenweep Nimonal Monument . Bent.s Old Fort Historic Site . Curecanti National Recreation Area On August 6, 1979, the National Park Service revised its management policies on construction, shoreline processes, and limitation of visitor use. With respect to floodplains and wetlands, the revisions provide that facilities and structures will not be located, except where no practicable alternative exists, in 10D-year floodplains, and that schools, hospitals, and museums will not be located within 500-year floodplains. Fur- thermore, the impact from construction activities will be """ided in floodplains and wetlands, except where no "reasonable alternative' exists, Whenever new facilities and structures must be located in floodplains and wetlands, "their design and siting shall be based on scientific, engineering and architectural studies; consideration to protection of human life, natural pI'(>. cesses and cultural resources; and consideration to their planned life span.' The same scrutiny will be applied to existing structures and facilities needing rehabilitation or replacement Such scrutiny will be one actor in the case of historic structures. In natural zones, shoreline processes, such as er0- sion, deposition, dune formation, and inlet formation, will be allowed to take place naturally, except where control measures are necessary to protect life and property in neighboring areas. In historic zones, the threat to the cultural resources and the imminence of the threat also are taken into account. In development zones, a management policy of phasing out, systemat- ically relocating or providing alternative development to existing development will be followed; no new devel- opment will be placed unless it is essential to meet the park's purpose and no practical alternative locations are available. Following the Lawn Lake Dam break and resultant flooding on Roaring Riller and Fall Riller in the Rocky Mountain National Park on July 15, 1982, the National Park Service has implemented several measures to identify and regulate flood prone areas, minimize flood recurrence and imprOl/e hazard waming and e\lacua- tion procedures. e . Existing Mitigation Plans, Programs, and Structures 3.3.1 Federal Government 3,3,2 State Government 3.3.2.1 Flood Mitigation Capability in Colorado Flood Hazard mitigation has been occurring in Col- orado for several decades. In the past, it was often implemented at the local level of QOIIemment generally following flood disasters. In recent times, inllOwement from both the state and federal government has be- come more common as each entity has prOl/ided funding and technical assistance for flood hazard mitigation. In the future the implementation of flood hazard mitigation strategies will still take place locally but it will be supplemented with new enthusiasm from the state and federal QO\Iemment, as pre-disaster mitigation becomes the cornerstone of FEMA and state programs. , In the 1980s and the 199Os, Colorado state QOIIem- menfs first formal experience with flood hazard mitiga- tion followed the 1982 and 1984 Presidential Disaster Declarations, particularly in 1984. The 1982 declara- tion addressed the Lawn Lake Dam failure near Estes Park and was fairly localized in scope. On the other hand 17 counties on Colorado's Westem Slope were included under the 1984 declaration. Mitigation mea- sures related to infrastructure and watershed manage- ment were implemented in Delta and Montrose Coun- ties. These measures consisted primarily of replacing structures, such as bridges. and cuwerts, that had washed out or been damaged with ones of larger capacity. An acquisitionlbuyout also occu~ in a subdivision in Paonia, Colorado. Bank stabilization efforts at severallocalions were undertaken. In 1984, 10D-year flooding occurred in the Delta County area upstream of the confluence of the Un- compahgre and Gunnison Rivers. These flood impacts set into a motion a series of actions by local gO\lem- ments, which today has culminated in the develop- ment of a park at the rivers' confluence. In 1993, the state's mountain snowpack was at an all-time high in several drainages. Pre-disaster mitiga- tion activities such as sandbagging critical locations and placement of diversion structures occurred in Western Slope counties such as Gunnison County. Rock deflection jetties were placed to protect the county fairground facilities in Hotchkiss (Detta County). Bank stabilization was again commonplace. In addition, education efforts through the Colorado Wetsr Conservation Board's Spring Flood Aware- ness Campaign prompted action from local gollem- ments. ~ ChaplJar 3 . Z4 112/l19810:51 PM