FLOOD08449

• County: Bent
• Community: Bent County
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Lower Arkansas River Watershed and Flood Mitigation Plan for Bent County
• Date: 10/1/2000
• Prepared For: Bent County
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

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These value amounts account for a large portion of the commercial and residential structures in the City
of Las Animas. and all the agricultural lands along the Arkansas and Purgatoire Rivers from the
BenVOtero County boundary east to the Prowers County line.

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Public Hl"'dlth and Safety

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More importantly than economic impact. the li....es and public h!.:alth of communitii.'S may he at risk. In
flooding events d~th and disease typically occurs in three phases. The three phast.'S are as follow:

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;,.. Event Phased Death and injuries during disaster event
j.. Response Phase-- Inability to rii:Spond to individual or community nl.'eds rL'Sults in
di.'ath and disease.
,. Post Disaster Phase-- Disease outbrt:.aks occurring after a flood event tend to be
numerous and arc typically more fatal than injuries during the flood.

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Exposure to numerous communicable diseasl."S is the primary concern during the ~t flood event phase.
Through elTectivc flood mitigation and planning. health risks can be greatly reduced. The number one
goal of tlOlldplain and watershed management is to prl."Vent the loss of lives and property.

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S('ct;(JnJ
Planning Process

Description of Plannine J'trocess and Approach

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To begin a procl,.'Ss of rectifying the conditions noted above. a- plan ~) btdcveloped for the lo\\"er
reach of the Arkansas River in Colorado. Initial planning ',\ilI prim:> . focused on the reach through
Bent County. Conceptually the plan v. ill htt.,'t.. tl.~ based on an ~Jroach whereby the rivers are divided
into fones or segments. Each panicular zone or segment~~be~ determined by the similarity of the
intcrrelall.-d condition... found along the river. For instancc. in an area where farmland is encroaching. salt
cedar has an ingro'"'th foothold and low property damage is expl."Ctt':d. then a farmland zone could be
designated. This ....ould then be managed as a particular area with a governing set of conditions and tools.
In a similar manner. an area around a town that has a differing cncroachment and ingrowth problem
would be handled differently. The act of identifying TOne distinctions involves both a haLard assessmcnt
and a mitigation component. This information can then be used to begin project implemcntation.
Authority for this mechanism would bc vesll.-d in the local land use plan and administered through the
Bem County land usc and ll00dplain admini~~~t~.... To help facilitate this prog.ram. a steering committee
of stakeholders has been established and v.ilt.hC utilized to refine the dctails in the ~Jf'n and create the
nl.'Cessary foundation for public involvcment. As envisioned. each particular zone \Iw.~\:i have a subplan
that ~ describl."Hhe strategy for improvement in thai area and outlinl..&the various tactics and tools
nl.'edt':d in achieving the stated strategic goal. The base plan \IoUUW includ0all particular and necessary
information to perpctuale the design. including compliance with all applicable regulations.

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F.xpectro Bencfil" and Outcomes of the J'tlannine PrOt.es....

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The most important outcome of the plan is to put in place an institutional foundation for correction of
flood hazards due to the historical evolution of land use along this portion of the Arkansas River. The
plan should consolidate consensus among landownl.'fS and stakcholders. define corrective actions and
futurc dcvelopment. enhance habitat and recreational uses. and mitigate flood damage. With the planning
procl.'Ss being site specific. planning officials arc given the flexibility to dl.1crmine which flood mitigation
method or practice best suits the need of the individual site. Long h.,.m sustainability should also be an
acti...c component of community dcwlopment and flood hazard reduction. For this reason. this document
shall be considered a "living document" meaning that it will constantly be updated to current situations
and cvolution of the river. For future funding. it is importanlto realize that a flood mitigation plan must
be in place prior to applying for ~'Tant and loan moneys. Ver} seldom ""ill slate and federal agencies tund
tll'Od mitigation or water resource projects if a community dOt."S oot have a strategic and mClhodological

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