Boulder: Flood risk elevated this spring – By Erica Meltzer, Camera Staff Writer

Elevated water tables, higher than normal snowpack and waterways that still have sediment and debris in them mean it will take less water than normal to cause new flooding this spring and summer, and it’s much harder to predict where the water will go.  View Full Story

There are more meetings scheduled;

If You Go

What: Boulder City Council briefing on flood recovery and emergency preparedness

When: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Boulder Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway, council chambers

If You Go

What: Flood Preparedness and Recovery Open Houses

When: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 31, presentation from 6-6:30 p.m.

Where: Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway, lobby and council chambers

When: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 2, presentation from 6-6:30 p.m.

Where: Casey Middle School, 1301 High St., cafeteria and auditorium

Info: For more information on flood recovery efforts and how to prepare yourself for future flooding, go toboulderfloodinfo.net.

Elevated water tables, higher than normal snowpack and waterways that still have sediment and debris in them mean it will take less water than normal to cause new flooding this spring and summer, and it’s much harder to predict where the water will go.

That’s the finding of the Threat, Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment prepared by the city-county Boulder Office of Emergency Management. The Boulder City Council will get a briefing on the hazards report and city mitigation efforts on Tuesday from OEM Director Mike Chard before the regular council meeting.

“There is a lot of sediment in the creeks, so when we get thunderstorms, which we do pretty routinely, how the creeks behave won’t be as predictable as it was in the past,” said Jeff Arthur, Boulder director of public works for utilities. “Thunderstorms where they are predicting a small amount of water that would not have caught our attention in the past, we’re going to be paying more attention.”

Boulder and Boulder County were on similar alert the summer after the Four Mile Fire, but the danger now stretches across all 14 of the city’s drainageways.

The THIRA report said the danger represented by the snowmelt depends in great part on whether it melts gradually or there is sudden warming or, worse, sudden warming coupled with thunderstorms.

“We are highly concerned that if we have a higher than average snowmelt, the amount of debris in the streams and channels of Boulder County will affect runoff negatively with debris dams forming and releasing, potentially creating flash flooding and damage,” the report says.

And, here is some information from Bill Van Matre, IMA (Inter Mountain Alliance) Member and Lefthand resident, who attended one of the previous meetings.

 The state and the county have money that has been approved to do the work that is needed to remove debris in our waterways that may contribute to flooding this spring. Please visit the www.BoulderCountyFlood.org site for more information.

The county needs our input as we move through the Spring run-off to the Summer time. If you see any areas that are causing water flow problems and a reduction of water flow on the creek call 911 and tell them the mile marker and if you have an address and your contact information. They will dispatch county transportation, the local fire department and the
Sheriff’s department to the area. In addition do not go into an area that you suspect a problem is occurring.  Climb
to high ground. Know the risk! The concerns are:
Flash Flooding
Thunderstorm-Related Flooding
Landslides
Debris Flow
Spring Runoff

Purchase Flood insurance go to www.floodsmart.gov for more information. It takes about 30 days to have it approved.

Sign up for Emergency Messages on this web site. www.boco911alert.com
If you don’t have an NOAA all hazard alert radio buy one. The are available at hardware stores, BestBuy and Radio Shack and Walmart.

The county transportation’s say we will not have our roads restored back to pre-flood conditions for 18 months to 2 years.
The creeks works has to be completed and then the road engineering and contracts sent out.

The county has published the Flood Recovery Guide for Spring 2014.  Inside is!
Road Construction
Debris Removal
Consumer Protection
Health & Safety
Comprehensive Creek Planning
Parks & Open Space status
Spring Runoff Preparedness
Fema Buy Program
Community Recovery Grants
They have these guides at County Land Use, 1301 Spruce St. Boulder, as well as experts to help you through the maze a paper work and guide you and help you.
Please come by. No appointment need. Hours are 10:00AM – 4PM Monday – Friday. They will also provide you with parking validations
stickers at the parking garages.