Rebuilding After the Flood

Boulder has been undertaking proactive flood mitigation projects for the last twenty years at Boulder Creek, Goose Creek, Elmer’s Two Mile Creek and Skunk Creek. Because of that, those areas have seen relatively little damage. The city will be doing some remapping based on better modeling assumptions, and is looking at acquiring some “High hazard zone” properties. Boulder also recently adopted the “Critical Facilities & Lodging Facilities Ordinance,” which, beginning in March, mandated better protections and emergency management plans for schools, nursing homes, hospitals and utility plants in the 500-year floodplain.

One way the county is making headway is through the Comprehensive Creek Planning Initiative. The team has been holding regular meetings with residents and county planning department. They are asking those big questions like, “Do we put the creek back where it was?” and “Who pays to move all the debris?”
Some decisions are already being acted on, but it may be over a year before the final plan is approved. And although the county’s roadside debris removal program ended January 31, huge areas from Lyons to South Boulder are still a moonscape of rock, fallen trees and sand.

In unincorporated Boulder County, every major rebuilding application starts with a Hazard Mitigation Review (HMR). The intention is to make sure we are building in a way that makes us safer and more resilient in the future.

After the Fourmile Canyon Fire, the county worked to get people back into their homes as quickly as possible, but the flood is a little different because it’s possible to predict where the hazards will be. Instead, the government is working with homeowners to come up with plans that minimize the risk of a repeat disaster. This can include moving or raising houses, flood proofing them, changing the topography of the site or stabilizing it against future mudslides.

Nine months after the flood, the county is allowing victims to bypass the daunting Site Plan Review process as long as their reconstructed house is the same size as the original.

But all new construction must still meet all local building codes—a difficult requirement give that the green building codes are some of the most rigorous in the country. Many of the older homes that were damaged will require a substantial upgrade to their envelope and mechanical systems—like improved insulation, energy-efficient windows—in order to meet them. 

Both the county and Boulder have created a special “Flood Recovery, Restoration and Repair Permit” for minor items such as drywall repair, insulation and mechanical systems to restore them to their pre-flood condition. They do not charge any fees for this permit. So far, over 800 county and city residents have made use of this program.
 
The County is helping homeowners with underground culvert replacement to transmit water elsewhere. They are waiving the Access Permit, Grading and Floodplain Development permit fees.

As for Huy Lam and his wife Jackie, there’s a long way to go before they can get back into their home. County reviews. Navigating insurance and mortgage requirements. Figuring out how to best rebuild with the insurance settlement. Not to mention getting a building permit, rebuilding the house and moving back in. But the one issue that looms overhead is restoring the once beautiful land that brought them near Left Hand Creek in the first place, and finally feeling safe.

Scott Rodwin, is an award-winning green architect and the principal of design/build firm Rodwin Architecture, which specializes in creating custom homes in Boulder.