We occasionally catch up with our colleagues at Boulder Reporting Lab to learn about the stories they're following. This time, Climate and Environment Reporter Tim Drugan joined us to discuss the Upper Goose Creek and Two Mile Creek flood plans.
On May 18, the Boulder City Council voted to move from a conceptual phase to a detail-oriented design phase for a $43 million flood mitigation project that would affect the two drainages.
“This is part of a greater flood mitigation effort by the city of Boulder that was kicked off in 2013, when it became apparent that their flood mitigation efforts up to that point had been insufficient,” Drugan told KUNC. “Boulder has a wildly impressive risk of flooding, thanks to 16 different drainages that flow through the city.”
Much of Boulder was built before modern floodplain management. A lot of homes are built over and around drainages, which can put them at risk.
“There are more than 700 homes within a hundred-year flood plain, which means that's an area that has a 1% risk of flooding in any given year,” Drugan said. “The proposed plan would take more than 500 of those out of the floodplain.”
The city of Boulder is slated to spend $350 million on more than 30 flood mitigation plans over the next decade.
An important part of this process is negotiating with homeowners impacted by the projects. Some residents are concerned about the potential impacts on wildlife.
“They're concerned that this construction is going to impact a lot of what they love about their backyard,” Drugan said.
But Drugan said flood mitigation remains the name of the game.
“There's so many homes in these floodplains, and each stretch of this flood mitigation project is pivotal,” he said.
Drugan said the city aims to help the flood mitigation projects blend in with the surrounding environment.
“Make these drainages look as natural as possible while being able to convey the flood water as necessary," Drugan said. "It's not just going to be a paved-over culvert. They are introducing natural features.”
