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<br />U. 8. ARiIY mrGUlI:EItS HEPOHT (COiITID) <br /> <br />COililE;:TS ON STi,TiC FLOOD COl!TROL PROGRAl.! (CONT 'D) <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />3. <br /> <br />After all, in dealing with floods, we treat with abnormal, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />unusual, speculative and perhaps unpredictable phenomena, somewhat compar- <br /> <br /> <br />able, for example, to earthquakes. They are foreign to Colorado and llaV0 <br /> <br /> <br />never yet been experienced, but can anYOne give assurance that an earth- <br /> <br /> <br />quake will not occur7 Because it is so improbable, public improverr.ents <br /> <br /> <br />are devised and constructed in Colorado without provisions against earth- <br /> <br /> <br />quake damage. Nor do property m7ners generally carry earthquake insurance. <br /> <br /> <br />Perhaps they should, for premiums would undoubtedly be law. Is not the <br /> <br /> <br />same approach or concept logical with respect to floods7 The objective <br /> <br /> <br />is insurance against damages,-not assurance against occurrence. Premiums <br /> <br />against floods that might happen with a frequency of onoe in several <br />thousand years should be low, vrhereas control works against suoh a flood <br /> <br /> <br />are necessarily expensive. Conversely, with respect to floods of frequent <br /> <br /> <br />expectancy, insurQnce costs would be high, but since control works against <br /> <br /> <br />floods of such magnitude are relati.vely inexpensive, the reasonable plan <br /> <br />would be to construct the facilities and thus avoid the high insurance <br /> <br />premiums. <br /> <br />4. TJ ere are numerous "Cherry Creeks" in Colorado, each of <br /> <br /> <br />which are subject to periodic storms and floods, and each of which needs <br /> <br /> <br />varying and reasonable flood control treatment. Under the principles <br /> <br /> <br />of design assumed On Cherry Creek, if applied to the many similar water- <br /> <br /> <br />sheds, costs will be prohibitive, and no where else in Colorado is <br /> <br /> <br />there another City of Denver where damages might be estimated to justify <br /> <br /> <br />such expenditures. For these reasons the flood control program for COlo- <br /> <br />rado as a Whole, to be effective, requires that reasonable assumptions <br /> <br />-28" <br />