SUBJECT: STAFF REPORT
Title
Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) Update
Body
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
PRESENTER/PREPARER: Gary Behlen, Public Works Director
Russell Pennington, Deputy Public Works Director
Wendi Palmer, Civil Engineer
FISCAL INFORMATION:
Cost as Recommended: N/A
Balance Available: N/A
Fund: N/A
Budget Line Item Number: N/A
New Appropriation Required: No
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: NA
Recommendation
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
The Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) was established by the Colorado legislature in 1969, for the purpose of assisting local governments in the Denver metropolitan area with multi-jurisdictional drainage and flood control problems. The Boulder County portion of Erie is within the UDFCD boundaries. The Weld County portion currently is not included.
UDFCD funding comes from a property tax mill levy which funds four programs:
• Master Planning
• Design, Construction and Maintenance
• Floodplain Management
• Information Services and Flood Warning
MASTER PLANNING
UDFCD completed two Master Planning projects for Erie in 2014. One was an update to the Drainage Outfall Systems Plan West of Coal Creek, and the other was a Master Plan for Coal Creek and Rock Creek which included several other communities.
DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
Design and Construction
The Town currently has two design and construction projects with UDFCD. One is for improvements along 111th Street in the Arapahoe Ridge area and the other is for improvements to Coal Creek between County Line Road and Kenosha Road. Updates to the current agreements will be brought to the Board when additional funding is needed or changes occur.
Maintenance
Since 1981 an annual maintenance work program has been developed within each county based on the funds available and a prioritized list of maintenance requests from each local government. Maintenance work is divided into two types of activities, routine and restoration.
Routine maintenance consists of limited mowing of native vegetation, trash and debris cleanup, trash rack cleaning, control of weeds and noxious vegetation, tree thinning, sediment removal, revegetation, and other minor drainage way maintenance activities. Routine maintenance in Erie will begin in May and end in September. The attached map and maintenance schedule identifies the drainage facility locations and frequency for maintenance.
Restoration work involves site specific activities intended to rebuild structures, major sediment removal or significant vegetation removal to reestablish existing drainage facilities which have been neglected or damaged such that the capacity of the facility has be reduced. Restoration work is generally performed in early spring, late summer or fall.
The following priorities were considered by UDFCD in determining the 2016 Maintenance Plan:
• First - UDFCD owned facilities.
• Second - Facilities owned by other public entities, but partly financed with District funds.
• Third - Facilities owned by other public entities and constructed by others without District assistance.
• Fourth - Unimproved urban drainageways.
• Fifth - Unimproved rural drainageways
Annually the Town of Erie submits a maintenance request to UDFCD. The estimated cost for the 2017 routine service in Erie is $19,550. The estimated cost for the 2017 restoration services in Erie is $73,000.
Routine services will be performed three times a year. The first will be either the week of May 15, or May 22. The second will be either the week of July 10 or July 17. The third will be the week of September 11. Attached is a schedule identifying the location, map identification and the week for each maintenance with identification of what type of maintenance will be performed. Debris removal will be performed each time, with mowing being performed as noted on the schedule. The attached map has the map identification numbers and is color coded to denote the week’s maintenance will be performed.
Restoration services has already begun this year with the removal of sediment in two of the detention ponds. One of the ponds is north of Creekside, and the other is south of Erie Parkway. Additional restoration will be performed in the other detention ponds and drainage ways as time and funding allow. Services will included sediment removal, vegetation management and tree thinning.
The following link can be used to access UDFCD’s Maintenance Program for 2017 (http://udfcd.org/working-us/projects/stream-management/).
INFORMATION SERVICES AND FLOOD WARNING
UDFCD works with local governments to ensure the safety of their citizens by providing local officials with early notifications of heavy rain and flood threats in partnership with NOAA’s National Weather Service. The public can also access real-time rainfall, streamflow, and weather information from the ALERT System (https://udfcd.onerain.com/home.php ). ALERT data can also be retrieved for past events.
UDFCD also provides flood hazard information to property owners. This year’s Flood Hazard Information Brochure has not been issued yet. When it is, they will be mailed to Erie residence within the UDFCD boundaries that are in or near the Special Flood Hazard Area in an effort to educate property owners about potential flood risks.
ATTACHMENTS:
a. 2017 Maintenance Program Map
b. 2017 UDFCD Maintenance Schedule