FLOOD09157 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Numerous state agencies have already developed programs under various authorities that take flood hazard mitigation into consideration. The Division of Water Resources is the principal agency responsible for managing the state's Dam Safety Program. The Colorado Water Conservation Board is responsible for flood- plain management at the state level, The Division of Disaster Emergency Services is responsible for coordinating emergency pre- paredness activities among agencies at all levels of government. The integration of dam safety, floodplain management, and emergency preparedness is important to establishing an effective flood hazard mitigation plan among state and local government agencies. The resolution of critical issues in each of these three aspects will greatly enhance existing mitigation efforts. The issues relating to dam safety identified and discussed in this plan include the problems of aging dams and their reha- bilitation; the classification of dams into high, moderate, and low hazard ratings; the limited state resources to inspect dams on a timely basis; the hydrologic criteria used to design dam spillways; unsafe dams; and the need for improved dam safety legislation. Critical issues relative to floodplain management include the need to identify the dam failure inundation zone, the effectiveness of the National Flood Insurance Program in Colorado, the demise in the StatE!' s floodplain mapping program, the lack of a" state program to acquire floodplain lands and the failure of some Colorado' communities to satisfactorily enforce floodplain regulations. In the area of emergency preparedness, critical issues relate to the low public awareness of the general population to flood hazards; the importance of community planning to warn and evacuate people who reside in a a potential inundation zone; the need for new or improved flood warning activity; and the need to better coordinate mitigation activities of various federal, state, local, and private agencies. A total of 29 recommendations are set forth in the plan to address the three aspects of dam safety, floodplain management, and emergency preparedness. Each recommendation includes a brief statement of the problem, a general statement of the solution, ideas for short and long term initiatives, the lead agency and cooperating agencies if appropriate, and an estimated cost to implement the idea. The following state agencies have been identified as lead aqencies to carry out the indicated number of recommendations: State Engineer (5), Colorado Water Conservation Board (8), Colorado Geological survey (1), Divsion of Parks and Outdoor Recreation with the Division of Wildlife (5), Division of Disaster Emergency Services (8), Department of Highways (1), and the Department of Institutions (1). x