Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Recommendation C. Form a Flood Control District <br /> <br />The committee should encourage adjacent communi ties to join wi th <br />Mani tou Springs to form an ar'ea-wide flood control district. Such a <br />district would promote cost-sharing. Presently, Manitou Springs and <br />neighboring communi ties are attempting to manage flood problems that have <br />basin-wide origins and impact,s needing basin-wide management. A very good <br />example of such a program is the Denver areas' Urban Drainage and Flood <br />Control District (UlFCD) whieh was created in 1969 by an Act of the <br />Colorado State Legislature. The UDFCD includes all of Denver county and <br />parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Boulder and Douglas Counties, and it <br />acts as a coordinating agency for the collection and di ssemination of <br />drainage information, floodplain definition and assistance in qualifying <br />for flood insurance programs" <br /> <br />The District has the power to plan, design, construct, acquire, equip, <br />relocate, maintain and operat,e drainage faclli ties and can enact <br />floodplain regulation. It can also make planning and design information <br />available, including maps of the Drainage District that delineate drainage <br />basins and provide physical and hydrological parameters, design rainfall <br />information for runoff analY:3is, statistical analysis of long-term records <br />and provide other information that becomes available from time to time. <br /> <br />The Colorado Division of Disaster Emergency Services is now <br />coordinating the development of similar drainage and flood control <br />districts on the western slope of ColoradO, centered in Grand Junction and <br />in the San Luis Valley. The committee should learn fran the experiences <br />elsewhere with successful regional drainage districts. <br /> <br />An Urban Drainage and Flood Control District would also be <br />instrumental in the development of a mOl'e sophisticated warning system. <br />The current warning plan for Mani tou Spl'ings includes one alarm in place <br />for the Upper Fountain Creek watershed that interfaces with the Manitou <br />Springs Police Department. The City of Colorado Springs is planning to <br />install dam measuring devices that will monitor the condition of the six <br />dams above Manitou Springs and report that information directly to the <br />Water Control Center on Mesa Road. One umbrella organization to recei ve <br />all data on flood conditions would facilitate more effective <br />decision-making, and an area-wide flood control district would fill this <br />need perfectly. Each community in the District would benefit, and costs <br />could be shared. The development of a formal relationship between Manitou <br />Springs, El Paso County, Teller County, Colorado Springs and the upstream <br />canmuni ties of Green Mountain Falls, Chipita Park, Woodland Park and <br />Divide would be extremely' beneficial for flood warning, drainage issues <br />and post-flood preparation. <br /> <br />There has been discussion regarding the establishment of a position of <br />floodplain administrator who would oversee construction activities within <br />the floodplain. Such a role would be ideally situated in the proposed <br />district. For further information on the Denver UlFCD contact L. Scott <br />Tucker, Executive Director, or Jack TrUby, Colorado Division of Disaster <br />Emergency Services (addresses and phone numbers found in Appendix D) . <br /> <br />-54- <br />