FLOOD08859

• County: Clear Creek
• Community: Georgetown
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Flood Control Master Plan and Local Pre-Disaster Flood Mitigation Plan
• Date: 7/1/1998
• Prepared For: Georgetown
• Prepared By: Clear Creek County Office of Emergency Management
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

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Flood Control Master Plan and Local Pre-Disaster Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan . Town of Georgetown, Colorado

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Clear Creek channel overflows to Clear Creek.
Reportedly, these artificial "channels" conveyed
water for more than a month. Local news accounts
reported the rescue of one fireman and a volunteer
worker from the swollen river. Surface inundation
was accompanied by flooding of many residential
basements due to flood-induced high groundwater
levels. The damage, control and cleanup costs for
this event were substantial as was the danger to
human life.

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The major factor influencing the occurrence of
flooding, the amount of resulting damage and
possible flood mitigation alternatives in Georgetown
is the proximity of homes and businesses to the
two creeks. A majority of the property adjacent to
Clear Creek and its southern branch is privately
owned. On South Clear Creek, many homes are
located within yards of the creek bank. Often these
residences have encroached into the historic channel
with concrete, rock or wood retaining walls and the
channel has, as a result, been confined to a narrow
corridor through most of town. This narrowing and
straightening of the creek channel has reduced its
flood carrying capacity and exacerbated flooding
problems. The number and proximity of low lying
homes has created the possibility for significant
property damage. Finally, the lack of existing right-
of-way and physical space for construction severely
limits options for flood control.

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An additional factor influencing the selection of
flood control alternatives is the historic character
of the town. Established in 1868 on the strength
of local mining activities, Georgetown has been
declared a Historic Landmark and contains
numerous buildings on the National Historic
Register. The restored downtown area centered on

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6th Street is a summer tourist attraction. Residents
of the town and other citizens with an interest in
historic preservation will be especially sensitive to
the aesthetic qualities of any proposed flood control
projects.

Clear Creek and South Clear Creek represent
extremely important resources to the community,
and have the potential to provide a focal point for
community identity and character. In many ways,
they already serve in this role. Several Colorado
towns have used flood management projects as the
incentive for transforming a problem stream into a
wonderful community amenity. Excellent examples
are the Blue River in Breckenridge and the Big
Thompson River in Estes Park. In both cases, flood
management improvements were integrated with
recreation and redevelopment plans, providing
multi-purpose projects with a variety of project
sponsors and financial partners. Lack of public
ownership in the stream corridor and existing
buildings on the channel banks create challenges
for this approach in Georgetown, but the flood
control master plan should attempt to incorporate
multi-purpose components to the extent possible.

Given these parameters, there are a number of flood
control alternatives and concepts which deserve
consideration in developing a Flood Hazard
Mitigation Plan for Georgetown. It is likely that the
final Plan will be comprised of a combination of
these and other mitigation approaches.

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((II) MONTGOMERY WATSON . 2-2