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Boulder County, Colo. -- Boulder
County’s Creek Recovery and Restoration Program is continuing the long-term watershed
recovery effort by seeking funding for flood risk reduction and stream restoration
projects, overseeing project implementation, and continuing to partner and
coordinate with stakeholders and residents in the community.
North St. Vrain Creek
Collaborative Restoration Project
Boulder
County is excited to announce the North St. Vrain Creek Collaborative
Restoration Project. In partnership with the City of Longmont, we will be
restoring a 1,800 foot section of North St. Vrain Creek below the Button Rock
Dam. The restoration project will focus on stabilizing the creek and improving
the aquatic environment by creating a low flow channel and wetland bench. The
project will be implemented in conjunction with the reconstruction of Longmont
Dam Road. The cost efficiencies gained by this strategy will allow us to
complete more stream restoration work with the limited grant funding that is
available.
Boulder County and the City of Longmont are
working in close collaboration with the St. Vrain Creek Coalition to ensure the
restoration project meets the goals of multiple stakeholders.
 Fourmile Canyon Creek
Draft Designs for Restoration
Draft
restoration designs for Fourmile Canyon
Creek are now available for review. Please submit any comments on the draft
design to sproctor@bouldercounty.org by October 21, 2015.
You are also invited to a public open-house regarding
plans for the restoration of Fourmile Canyon Creek and permanent roadway
construction of Wagonwheel Gap Road. The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30
p.m. on Tuesday, Oct 20th, at Pine Brook Hills Community Center, 1905 Linden,
Boulder, CO.
The
goal for restoring Fourmile Canyon Creek is to expedite the natural healing
process by implementing a restoration design that:
- Restores a stable and sustainable channel
configuration within the existing watershed setting
- Restores natural riparian and in-stream
habitat
- Utilizes natural materials to reconstruct
in-stream habitat features and stabilize channel banks
- Minimizes disturbance to private property and
amenities within the watershed
Please
note that the majority of the anticipated creek restoration work is not
currently funded. Boulder County is
engaged with federal and state programs targeted at flood recovery and creek
restoration to advocate for Fourmile Canyon Creek project funding.
Additional Boulder
County Watershed Projects
Boulder County is currently pursuing funding for
stream recovery and restoration projects on Parks and Open Space lands and
those associated with the reconstruction of flood-damaged county roads and
bridges. As of October 2015, the county has been awarded funding for the
following projects*:
 *Additional
funding may be needed for completion of project.
**All design project funds are for 30% design.
Boulder
County is completing contracting and will begin work on the projects in the
upcoming months. For more information about any of the projects, please contact
Stacey Proctor at 303-441-1107 or sproctor@bouldercounty.org.
Watershed Coalitions
There
are six watershed coalitions in Boulder County that are continuing to meet and
organize around watershed recovery. Residents are encouraged to get involved in
these organizations:
More
information and contact information about each of the watershed coalitions can
be found at www.BoulderCountyCreekPlan.org.
Funding
Update
Emergency Watershed Protection Grants
The National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
has been allocated approximately $47 million in Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP)
grants to support flood recovery projects in Colorado. The program will be administered by the
Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and is designed to take a long-term
and holistic approach to watershed recovery.
All
EWP projects must:
- Reduce
threats to lives and property
- Be
economically, environmentally, and socially defensible
- Be
designed and implemented according to sound technical standards
- Conserve
natural resources
The
NRCS and CWCB have asked watershed coalitions to submit lists of priority
reaches within their watersheds so that the agencies can begin Damage Survey
Reports (DSRs) to determine eligibility, document damages caused by the flood,
develop treatment alternatives, and estimate project costs. This effort
is currently underway and will be guided by the recommendations set forth in
the 2014 watershed master plans. It is estimated that project implementation
will begin in the spring 2016.
Community Development
Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR)
Boulder
County is currently drafting pre-applications for the fall 2015 CDBG-DR
Resiliency Planning grant cycle. Available funding is approximately $4 million.
Applications continue to focus on critical and time-sensitive recovery needs
arising from the 2013 floods. The county is working with a combination of
jurisdictions, coalitions, and other non-profit organizations to address
longer-term disaster recovery planning needs. The county is proposing
projects that consider studies for overall risk reduction, health and
resiliency of our watersheds, road and bridge infrastructure, and feasibility
of an at-risk property acquisition program.
For
more information, please visit www.BoulderCountyCreekPlan.org or contact Stacey
Proctor at sproctor@bouldercounty.org or 303-441-1107.
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