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<br /> <br /> <br />The Floodway - The floodway is the most significant component of the floodplain, rela- <br />tive to maintaining the flood-carrying capacity of rivers and streams. The floodway is <br />defined as that area of the watercourse plus adjacent floodplain land that must be pre- <br />served in order to allow the discharge of the base flood without increasing flood heights <br />more than a designated amount. Communities are required to prohibit development <br />within a flood way that would cause an increase in flood heights. Because a floodway is, <br />in many respects. a de facto preservation tool, it also acts to protect critical riparian <br />habitats, minimize degredation of surface water quality, and provide for greater ground- <br />water recharge. <br /> <br />A number of states and local communities have adopted a more restrictive floodway <br />which generally results in a wider floodway: thus a greater area of floodplain, especially <br />sensitive riparian areas, would likely remain undeveloped. Some 5.8 million acres of <br />floodways have been delineated along 40.000 stream and river miles in 7.800 communi- <br />ties nationwide. This is an area the size of Vermont or more than 2 1/2 times that of <br />Yellowstone National Park. <br /> <br />Watersheds - The Big Picture ~ While it is important for communities to plan and take <br />responsibility for the land uses that occur in their own tloodplains, it must be "recognized <br />that flood level and water quality can be very much affected by land use activities that <br />occur elsewhere in the watershed. Land uses along tributatries are likely to have an im- <br />pact on downstream communities. Wise management of tributaries is therefore extremely <br />important, as their protection can yield benefits for the entire network. Broad planning <br />efforts among communities within a watershed can thus have far-reaching advantages. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Figure 13 - Boulder. Colorado is a good <br />example of a community that has taken the <br />initiative to traw,jorm its flood hazard areas <br />into community w"sets" by creating greenways" <br />with wildlife preserves, parks, and bike parhs. <br />