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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC02-314 EPA01- —31 q- .. ..w Environmental Protection Agency "Consolidated Funding Process" Proposal Eagle County requests consideration of our funding proposal to continue with the floodplain mapping of the tributaries of the Eagle River. Project Title: Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analysis of Drainages Located in the Eagle River Watershed Sponsoring Organization: Eagle County, Colorado Contact Name and Title: Justin Hildreth, Project Engineer Contact Address: Eagle County Engineering P.O. Box 850 Eagle, CO 81631 Email address (contact #1): jmhildrethQeagle-coun , .com Email address (contact #2): helenmia@eagle-county.com Phone Number: (970) 328-3560 Fax Number: (970) 328-8789 Submitted by Michael L. Gallagher, ( Eagle County Board of II ) Z(,/y Z� Date EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PROJECT TITLE: Hydrologic and Hydraulic Analysis of Drainages Located in the Eagle River Watershed. HYDROLOGIC UNIT CODE: 14010003 LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE: 106 ° 30' and 39 ° 37' NAME OF WATER SHED: Eagle River Watershed and its tributaries ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND PROBLEMS: Located along a major development corridor, the Eagle River and its tributaries have been profoundly impacted by the rapid growth within Eagle County. The drainage and flooding patterns of many of the tributaries have not been previously delineated. This has resulted in encroachment into the drainages, by inappropriate development and infrastructure. MAJOR GOALS: Since 1996, Eagle County, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have spent approximately $303,280 to map the floodplains of the Eagle and Colorado Rivers. This undertaking did not address any of the tributaries to the Eagle and Colorado Rivers. The goal of this study is to supplement the work done on the main stem of the Eagle and Colorado Rivers with studies on major tributaries that have had or will likely have development pressures. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: In order to make appropriate land use decisions, it is essential that areas that require environmental protection are identified. Identifying environmentally sensitive areas in the Eagle River watershed will allow for appropriate environmental reclamation and land use decisions. The purpose of this project is to produce hydrological and hydraulic analysis of tributaries to the Eagle River which have been or have the potential to be impacted. Tributaries that require further study include Gypsum Creek, Lake Creek, Squaw Creek, Stone Creek, Eagle River above Mintum, June Creek, Beard Creek, and Berry Creek. The completed maps will be incorporated into the Eagle County GIS system and submitted to the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for adoption. FUNDS REQUESTED: $100,000 NON-FEDERAL MATCH: $79,000 add in-house services. OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS: $32,000 in services provided by the Army Corp. of Engineers to map Gypsum Creek, portion of the Eagle River and Lake Creek. TOTAL PROJECT COST: $211,000 `ftr� PROPOSAL FOR HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC ANALYSIS F DRAINAGES LOCATED IN THE EAGLE RIVER WATERSHED ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM DESCRIPTION Since 1996, Eagle County in cooperation with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have been mapping 50 miles of the Eagle River and Colorado River floodplains from Dowd Junction to the Garfield/Eagle County line. This project was initiated because the existing mapping for Eagle County was created in the 1970's and is woefully out of date and of little use to our present applications. When the original mapping was created, approximate methods were used which was appropriate for a community with a population of only 13,300 people. Over the last 20 years, the population of Eagle County has grown to 43,500 people and a higher level of detail is now required. Accurate maps are essential for the proper implementation of many environmental decisions. Outdated mapping has the potential to invite additional damage rather than solve problems that they were originally created for. These floodplain maps are the basis for environmental, infrastructure, stormwater quality and land use decisions in Eagle County. The Eagle County Land Use Regulations make efforts to restrict development within the floodplain using these maps. Also, the location and layout of septic systems, and the stormwater quality and detention regulations reference these maps. The location and sizing of the infrastructure is often based on these maps and the data used to develop these maps. Most of the tributaries are mapped using only approximate methods and many are not even delineated on the floodplain maps. As a result, many streams in the Eagle River watershed have been encroached upon, causing both damage to the ecosystem and an unsafe environment. The ecosystem is damaged by altering the creeks and bank areas, and increasing discharges of urban pollutants including sediment. GOALS OF THE PROJECT The goal of this project is to accurately delineate the floodplains of tributaries to the Eagle River that have been developed or are likely to experience development pressure. Tributaries that are of concern include Lake Creek, Stone Creek, Gypsum Creek, Eagle River above Dowd Junction to Redcliff, June Creek, Beard Creek, Squaw Creek and Berry Creek. The floodplain maps will delineate the extent of the flooding during the 100-year event and include base flood elevations (BFE), the floodfringe and floodway areas of the floodplain. These limits would help us protect the environment by defining what land uses are appropriate in what areas. These maps will be incorporated into the Eagle County GIS system for easy dissemination and use by Eagle County Employees and the public. Also, they will be submitted to CWCB and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for adoption. Not only will this information be used for the environmental protection of streams and rivers in Eagle County, they will be used for flood planning and included in the Flood Insurance Rate Maps put out by FEMA and used by the insurance industry. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT This project will occur in the following tributaries of the Eagle River: Lake Creek, Stone Creek, Gypsum Creek, Beard Creek, Berry Creek, June Creek, the Eagle River above Dowd Junction. All of these tributaries have not had a detailed study done except one mile of Gypsum Creek. All of these tributaries have experienced development and are under pressure for more development. The scope of the delineation for each creek will run from the confluence with the Eagle River upstream to the Forest Service boundary. Eagle County has no enforcement ability on public lands and the public lands are not expected to come under development pressure so it is not worthwhile to spend monies for mapping for these areas. The floodplain delineation will be done by experienced consultants. Eagle County will pay for the updated and expanded GIS mapping that will be used for this project. The new GIS mapping will replace some of the existing mapping and add new areas that will likely come under development pressure in the next decade. The Eagle County Engineering department will do any required surveying. Surveying services are a significant portion of the cost because each bridge and hydraulic change needs to be field surveyed to verify the topographic mapping and to provide for the additional detail that is required in those areas. In addition to the funds being requested by the EPA and being contributed by Eagle County, Eagle County in coordination with the CWCB is seeking assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps of Engineers will delineate approximately 10 to 15 miles of the floodplain in-house at a value of approximately $25,000 to $40,000. Eagle County will not know how much mapping the Army Corps of Engineers will do until the federal budget is approved for next year. Eagle County is seen as having a good chance of obtaining funding from the Army Corps of Engineers because of our recommendation from the CWCB. OUTPUTS AND PROGRESS REPORTS The EPA will be constantly updated on the progress of this complex project. At a minimum semiannual reports will be submitted to the EPA notifying them of our progress on such tasks as the GIS mapping, surveying, and the hiring of the floodplain mapping contractor. Any additional work related to the project that the EPA would like to see will be submitted upon request. Only one final report will be generated by this project, which will be the Flood Information Report. Two copies of this report will be submitted to the EPA upon completion of the project. MILESTONES There are three principal phases to this project. The first is the completion of the GIS mapping which will begin next year either before the spring runoff in April or after the runoff is completed in August or September. This step is heavily dependent on the weather to get quality mapping. The next step is to survey all of the bridges and major hydraulic changes of the streams and river. This step will take two to three months. While the surveying is underway, Eagle County will hire a consultant to complete the floodplain delineation. This will take approximately six weeks. The actual floodplain delineation will take six months to complete. Upon completion of the Floodplain Information Report, it will be submitted to FEMA for adoption. The following table summarizes the project and its milestones. Floodplain Mapping for Drainages in the Eagle River Watershed Table of Milestones Miles Stone Time to Compete Total Time Complete GIS Mapping 5 Months upon completion of 5 Months Update aerial photography Surveying of Bridges and 3 Months 8 Months Hydraulic Changes Hiring of Floodplain 1.5 Months 8 Months Delineation Consultant Delineation of the Floodplain 6 Months 14 Months Adoption of Maps by CWCB 3 Months 17 Months and Board of County Commissioners Adoption of Maps by FEMA At least One Year 2.5 Years