Boxelder project would remove 600-plus from floodplain

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Ever so slowly, the Boxelder Creek Stormwater Project is inching ahead. Estimated to cost about $10 million, the project would remove more than 600 properties from the Boxelder Creek floodplain.

The project includes enlarging Clark Reservoir northeast of Wellington and building a second reservoir farther south in the basin.

If all goes smoothly, construction of the project could begin in 2009. Fees to pay for it could also be implemented next year.

In June, the Larimer County Commissioners gave its engineering department the go-ahead to continue work on the project. Whether it will eventually fly depends on whether the three entities involved, Larimer County, Fort Collins and Wellington, come up with an intergovernmental agreement to share project costs. A draft document will be ready sometime this summer.

In Wellington alone, 230 homes are now in the Boxelder/Coal Creek floodplains. For those with mortgages, that translates to a hefty flood insurance premium each year.

Stephanie and Bill Bodkins, who live on Fourth Street, have seen their insurance bill climb steadily over the past several years. In just the last year, the annual premium went from $635 to $796. It's frustrating, said Stephanie Bodkins, because she doesn't think their home is in a "danger zone" for flooding despite the floodplain designation.

Jean and Dean Delaney, Fifth Street residents, are now paying $500 per year for flood insurance. The bill was $1,000 per year, Jean Delaney said, until they shopped around for a bare-bones policy.

"Premiums have increased a great deal since [Hurricane] Katrina," commented Rex Burns of the Larimer County Engineering Department.

Large basin affected

The Boxelder project would bring flood protection to a large area, stretching from north of Wellington to south of Timnath. It would remove floodplain designations in Wellington for both Boxelder Creek and Coal Creek. According to Wellington Town Administrator Larry Lorentzen, the town considered doing its own project in 1999 but the regional approach "will work out a lot better for everybody."

The first phase of the project, which would involve enlarging Clark Reservoir, would take most of Wellington out of the floodplain. A few low-lying properties would likely remain in the floodplain, Lorentzen said.

The initial phase has a price tag of $4 million, but the county was recently approved for a $3 million matching grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, bringing the local share down to $1 million.

Along the length of the project, removing the floodplain designation would allow for development and would mean that many property owners could kiss their flood insurance policies goodbye.

Floods were common

Flooding used to be common in Wellington, according to Jeri Feil, an engineering technician with Larimer County. Several "check dams" were built north of town in 1980, and that reduced the frequency of flooding.

Wellington and other areas in the Boxelder/Coal Creek drainage are now considered to be in the 100-year floodplain - which means a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year. Flood insurance is required to obtain a mortgage in the 100-year floodplain.

"What we're trying to do is clear up that residual, 1 percent floodplain," Feil said.

Some Wellington folks snicker about Coal Creek having a floodplain, since the creek has been covered over for years. However, Feil said, in case of a flood, water would seek the path of least resistance to the Poudre River. That route could include the old creek bed.

One factor that causes skepticism about floodplains is that northern Colorado has experienced several years of drought, and flooding has been the least of people's concerns.

However, one area in the Boxelder Creek basin is known to flood on a regular basis. It's at the intersection of Interstate 25 and East Mulberry Street, where there is a lot of commercial development. That spot flooded again in early June this year, when Fort Collins received 1.84 inches of rain in a single storm.

While some local residents see the floodplain as a bureaucratic invention, the state sees things differently. In fact, the Boxelder/Coal Creek drainage is on the top-10 list of priorities for Colorado's state floodplain manager. According to Larimer County officials, a 100-year flood in the Boxelder drainage could cause $109.8 million in damages.

The three entities are now working out possible fee schedules for property owners within the service area, which extends from County Road 70 north of Wellington to south of Timnath. The town of Timnath is not involved in the project. Fees will include both development fees for new homes and businesses and monthly fees for everyone in the Boxelder watershed.

Current estimates call for monthly fees of $6 per month for a single-family home and $36 for a 12,000-square-foot commercial building. Estimates for development fees are $500 for a single-family home and $3,000 for a 12,000-square-foot commercial project.

While Fort Collins already assesses its residents a stormwater fee, Wellington and the county do not. Fort Collins does not plan to raise either its monthly stormwater fees or its development fees, according to Bob Smith, the city's water planning manager.

According to Feil, there are about 8,350 properties in the proposed service area for the project, all of which would be subject to the new fees. Of those, only 642 are located within the 100-year floodplain. However, she explained that a 100-year flood would affect all properties in the basin, not just those in the actual floodplain.

Even if property owners outside the floodplain are fortunate enough to not have damage to their homes, Feil said, they could be impacted for weeks by problems with water, sewer, transportation, emergency services or access