FLOOD08978

• County: Chaffee
• Community: Buena Vista
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Flood Response and Mitigation Plan
• Date: 1/1/1995
• Prepared For: Buena Vista
• Prepared By: CWCB & Buena Vista
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

FIOOIJ l{rsl'ol\lsr ;\f\ID MITI(j;\IIOf\1 PI r\f\I

In this dau of
shrinl1ing
government
resources, what
does a
comm

3

PREFACE

That's the question the Town of Buena Vista asked itself as the
snowpack continued to rise in March and April 1995. The
community's response and the cooperative efforts of its citizenry
clearly illustrate what any community can do to reasonably prepare
for the potential of a catastrophic flooding event.

As the 1995 snowmelt flood season approached, most Colorado
communities were keeping a wary eye on the Natural Resource
Conservation Service's monthly snowpack readings. (None more so
than the Town of Buena Vista!)

Reports from long-time local weather observers were revealing that
at the end of March, one of the largest snowpacks on record was
accumulating in the Cottonwood Creek watershed. These local
reports were confirmed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board
(CWCB). The CWCB is a state agency which works with local
governments to prepare for flood events and undertake the steps
necessary to mitigate the effects of flooding.

At the request of the town, a CWCB representative met with local
officials in Buena Vista in April 1995 to begin preparation for
potential flooding. A CWCB document titled "Local Pre-Disaster
Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan" was presented to town officials for
their consideration and use. The town embraced many of the plan's
recommendations and implemented them as part of the
community's response to the impending flood threat. However, in
most cases, Buena Vista exceeded the plan's scope and developed
one of the most comprehensive pre-disaster flood mitigation efforts
ever undertaken by a small community in Colorado.

This report summarizes the-town of Buena Vista's flood mitigation efforts during the spring of 1995 and supplements it
where appropriate. It is intended as a guide and resource document for other local governments who might face a
similar threat in the future. It is not a substitute for a comprehensive Local Emergency Operation Plan (LEap).

~ Olj/TA
~~~

I