The Boxelder Creek Watershed has a long history of flooding with a damaging flood occurring somewhere in the watershed on average every 1-3 years. Floods result in crop loss, overtopped roads, washed out bridges, delay in emergency service response, impact to utilities etc. Much of the area is designated as floodplain, which limits what residents, farmers, ranchers, and businesses can do with their properties and structures, impacts property values, and requires costly flood insurance for some.

Improvements in the area are based upon the Boxelder Master Plan completed collaboratively by various local entities to address stormwater issues in the watershed. The initial phase of improvements includes adding floodwater storage to current water storage facilities, construction of a new regional stormwater detention facility, and improvements to convey flood water to these detentions facilities.

The local governments are working to form a joint Stormwater Authority to oversee construction, maintenance, and finance of the facilities.

The improvements are very much necessary because this area is historically highly flood prone and has experienced heavy damages and loss of lives. If nothing is done, this will happen again.

If your property is within the current Boxelder FEMA floodplain, completion of the projects may result in your property being removed from that floodplain, or the threat of flooding may be reduced. This means an owner may no longer be required to carry flood insurance, or the rates may be lowered in conjunction with a lowered flood risk. Properties removed from the floodplain may experience less land use restrictions and increased property values.

All area residents will be safer and at less risk of experiencing overtopped roads, compromised utilities (water, sewer, etc), emergency service access issues, and loss of services (schools, churches, businesses) due to flooding.

The first portion of the Phase I improvements includes the Coal Creek Diversion and Clark Reservoir Stormwater Detention expansion project which is estimated to cost just under $4 million. If the FEMA grant is awarded, it would cover about $3 million dollars of the cost. The remaining cost would be covered by a 'local match' or funding from local entities, stormwater fees charged to residents (some existing, and some potentially new fees), and/or local grants or loans. Details of the funding will be conveyed to the public as soon as they are available, and opportunities for comment will exist.

Absolutely. We look forward to working with area residents and other interested parties to provide information, think through and discuss the interests, issues, opportunities and benefits. We also very much would like to gather input from the public as we move through the process.

While the public was extensively involved in the Master Plan process and choosing the best alternative in that plan, project staff knows and recognizes the importance of continued input and ideas as implementation of the plan takes place. We welcome your contribution to the process.

The focus has been on the flood mitigation aspect, but we realize that there may be an opportunity to incorporate other benefits (whether regional or to adjacent property owners) into the project. We welcome ideas how this might be done and what types of things people are most interested in considering.

Contact the project staff via phone, fax, email, or through this website. There will also be opportunities for comment at any open house, project meetings, or presentations.

If the FEMA grant is awarded, and in response the Stormwater Authority is formed to manage the grant and project, the construction on the Coal creek Diversion and Clark Reservoir Stormwater Detention project could begin in 2009.

If the grant is not awarded, alternative funding sources will be needed before construction can be considered.

If the establishment of a Stormwater Authority is not successful, then construction may not take place, or may be done in a much more piecemeal manner by the individual governments at a later date.

Larimer County, City of Fort Collins, and the Town of Wellington are the local jurisdictions involved. Weld County and the Town of Timnath are not participating at this time, but would be welcome to join the Stormwater Authority at a later date. Improvement projects are chosen based upon the greatest benefit to owners and residents in member entities.

An Authority is a unit of local government formed by two or more local governments acting together to solve a common problem. In this case, formation of an authority is being considered to provide a mechanism for managing and mitigating the threat of flooding in the portion of the Boxelder Creek Watershed south of Larimer County Road 70, called the proposed Boxelder Service Area

The Boxelder Creek Watershed extends from southeast Fort Collins, north into Wyoming, and contains approximately 260 square miles.

The area proposed to be included in the Stormwater Authority is that portion of the watershed in Larimer County that is south of Larimer County Rd 70, including Wellington and parts of Fort Collins. These more urbanized areas experience a more concentrated runoff as the water funnels down to the Poudre. This is also the portion of the watershed where the improvements will be of the greatest benefit to the largest number of people.

Often the construction of streets/roads, buildings, channels, ditches, etc. changes the natural flow path of the water. Because of this, some properties near the boundary lines will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis using drainage plans on file and on-site visits to determine if the flow path has been altered or if a particular lot drains into or out of the watershed. (See contact information and contact a staff member for further assistance.)

Weld County is welcome to participate in our regional solutions. However, that area currently falls outside of the more urbanized area and is largely undeveloped at this time. As those areas begin to develop, needs are identified, and potential benefits are highlighted, Weld County may opt to join the authority.