FLOOD09157

• County: Statewide
• Community: State of Colorado
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan for Colorado
• Date: 1/1/1983
• Prepared For: State of Colorado
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

From 1978-1981, the Colorado dam safety program was
primarily involved with the requirements of the National Dam
Inspection Act. The National Dam Safety Program is 8 years old,
and it is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(COB). The Branch has updated the federal inventory of dams and
prepared phase I reports under contract to the Corps of
Eng ineers .

In order to accomplish the work in the time frame allotted,
the State Engineer requested proposals for and hired consulting
eng ineers to make hazard re-evaluat ions for the inventory of as
many dams as fiscal resources would permit. The Field
Engineering unit made the hazard re-evaluations for the balance
of the structures.

Temporary help was hired to assist in the monumental task of
transcribing information from state files and records to the COE
inventory forms as well as locating dam owners, Obtaining their
addresses, physical data on the dams, keypunching, updating, and
other data.

Consulting engineers were also hired to do the phase I
inspection reports in accordance with the COE' s guidel ines and
directions. The State Engineer prepared proposals, selected the
consultants, assisted them with the files, reviewed their
reports, coordinated the Corps comments in the reports, and
transmitted the final reports to the owners with additional
recommendations.

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One hundred ninety-seven (197) non-federal high hazard,
thirty-five (35) moderate hazard, and one (1) low hazard dams
were inspected during the four-year program. The 35 moderate
hazard dams were sample inspections made by the COE personnel of
private dams on Federal property, They did the low hazard one
because it was convenient.

Present inspection schedules call for all high and rroderate
hazard dams to be inspected within FY 82-83. Those structures
known to be of particular concern will be, or have been already,
inspected first.

Reservoir owners with high hazard potential dams have been
requested to prepare an emergency preparedness plan (EPP). These
plans include action plans to combat dam incidents/failures and
to identify emergency officials downstream of their dams. In
addition, DODES is requesting local emergency coordinators to
include the potential for the failure of these dams in their
emergency evacuat ion plans. TOi.s project will be expanded to
moderate hazard dams if it is successful. A model EPP has been
prepared for dam owner's use by staff members of the Disaster Dam
Safety Branch.

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