FLOOD07889

• County: Mesa
• Community: Palisade, Grand Junction, Fruita, Mesa County
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Title: Grand Valley Stormwater Unification Feasibility Prjoect
• Date: 6/27/2003
• Prepared For: Palisade, Grand Junction, Fruita, Mesa County
• Prepared By: Grand Junction Drainage District, CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Project

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SECTII.ONE

Introduction and BackgrOund

Storm water managers from five local governmental entities (Mesa County, the Grand Junction
Drainage District, the City of Grand Junction, the City of Fruita, and the Town of Palisade,
known as "the five entities") have been meeting for approximately three years to discuss
common problems and identifY potential solutions to stormwater and drainage management
issues within the Grand ValIey. In a broad sense, the general issues of concern include:

· How to fund, coordinate and complete regional projects that benefit multiple jurisdictions, or
cross jurisdictional boundaries,

· How to achieve, and maintain compliance with new state and federal mandates for
stormwater management contained in Clean Water Act Phase II regulations, effective March
2003, and

· How to prioritize, fund, and perform the maintenance and replacement of existing drainage
infrastructure that is now undersized due to growth, or because maintenance has been ignored
in the past.

Three of the most significant problems facing the five entities are:

· Lack of drainage basin planning studies which identifY the problems and needs within
specific basins and which present plans for improvements in the most cost-efficient and
coordinated manner,

· Lack of a consistent, coordinated regional approach to storm water management, and

. Lack of adequate funding for both local and regional projects.

During 2001 and 2002, numerous briefings were given by stormwater managers to elected
officials and citizen groups. In June 2002, elected officials from the five entities individualIy
passed resolutions authorizing a feasibility study of the potential for unification of certain
stormwater activities, and authorizing formation of a Steering Committee to solicit citizen input
and advisory recommendations on stormwater and drainage issues. Funding for the project was
committed from the five entities, a $70,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board
was solicited and received, a consultant was hired, and a Steering Committee was selected. The
Steering Committee members covered a broad range of interests, including real estate
development, insurance, farming, and business owners. Many of the members had experience
with flooding issues. None of the Steering Committee members were elected officials during
this process. Details of the selection of Steering Committee members are in Section 3.

Steering Committee meetings began in December 2002. The general purpose of this Unification
Feasibility Study, and Steering Committee process, was to: "... investigate the legal,
administrative, operational, financial, physical, and political aspects of stormwater
management, flood hazard mitigation and Clean Water Act Phase II Compliance services
provided to the customers of the myriad of entities responsible for those jitnctions within the
Grand Valley, and determine if the cost of stormwater management and Phase II compliance
services can be reduced, or the Level of Service increased through the use of common resources
and unified management." It was expected that the Steering Committee would issue a set of
findings on the current status of stormwater management in the Grand Valley, and provide
advisory recommendations to the elected officials concerning goals and strategies for future
acti viti es.

URS

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