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COLORADO WATER CONSERVATION BOARO Department of Natural Resources 721 State Centennial Building 1) 1 ) Sherman Street Denver, Colorado 80203 Phone: (30)) 866.).....' ROY ROMER, GOVERNOR STATE OF COLORADO ~ July 16, 1987 i , i I I I Mr. John P. Byrne, Director State Coordinating Officer Colorado Department of Public Safety Division of Disaster Emergency Services Camp George West Golden, Colorado 80401 Dear ~~fc~ I am pleased to transmit to you this Report on Governor's Emergency Funding 1987: Rio Grande Flooding Alamosa County and the Rio Grande Water Conservation District. , J. William McDonald Director David W. Walker Deputy Director As you are aware. during the spring of 1987. the San Luis Valley was predicted to receive high flood waters. The Rio Grande peaked at 5,200 c.f.s. at Alamosa on May 16, 1987. the highest since 1949. An effort to divert flood water from the Rio Grande above the communities of Monte Vista and Alamosa, assisted through a grant from Governor Romer's Emergency Contingency Fund. was undertaken to rehabilitate irrigation drains. The cleaning of the irrigation drains successfully sent excess flood waters of the Rio Grande west to Lake San Luis. I I I I I '_ i This combined effort of Federal. State, local government, and private interests. if not undertaken, would have allowed the Rio Grande to outflank the levee system at Alamosa. A flood at Alamosa would have caused millions of dollars in public and private damages, loss of revenue and jobs during the flood recovery period at Alamosa and at a time of an already sagging economy in the San Luis Valley. I appreciate the effort of you and your staff in coordinating the grant from Governor Romer's Emergency Fund. Sincerely, [( &j( ;J!c ~u;cr!c J. William Mc Donald Director JWMI Enclosure: as stated cc: Alamosa County Rio Grande Water Conservation District U,S. Bureau of Reclamation. Alamosa 4179E -