Video and photos by Ron Bend
Flooding at Colorado State University the night of July 31 could have been a whole lot worse if it hadn’t been for improvements made since the historic flood at CSU that caused more than $150 million in damage in 1997.
There were a variety of flood mitigation projects completed by CSU and the City of Fort Collins in the years following the flood on July 28, 1997, when 31 hours of intense rainfall inundated key campus buildings like the Lory Student Center and Morgan Library. CSU’s flood mitigation projects — including construction of floodwalls, berms, and below-grade systems in 2000 and 2001 – cost more than $1 million.
The most recent flood mitigation project occurred several years ago, when the area around the Lagoon was deepened to hold more floodwater. According to Campus Landscape Architect David Hansen, if that area were to fill and overflow during a flood event, water would pass through the Transit Center bus stops, along the north side of the LSC, and reach the Oval between Ammons Hall and the TILT Building.
But Hansen said Monday night’s flooding was largely contained in the Lagoon area.
“The reason the Oval didn’t flood is because of the deepened Lagoon,” he said. “It didn’t even get to the Transit Center. The Lagoon project proved its worth last night.”
Hansen also lauded the efforts of the Facilities Management teams that have been helping with the minor flooding and water damage that did occur with this most recent storm.
Other mitigation efforts
He said other flood mitigation projects that CSU completed in the years following the 1997 flood focused on building protection, including adding berms on the east side of the Oval and creating flood protection walls around facilities like the Occupational Therapy Building and Johnson Hall. For example, he noted, when walking into the main OT Building entrance, one has to go up three stairs before descending additional stairs. In the same area, the heating/cooling plant also has a flood mitigation system.
“There is a series of steel wall plates that can be set up at a moment’s notice so that we don’t have water going into doorways,” Hansen said.
In the years following 1997, flood walls were also added on the west side of Morgan Library and around the Eddy Building, as well as new berms around the LSC. In addition, Hansen said, the City of Fort Collins has completed several flood mitigation projects west of main campus, stretching all the way to Overland Trail. Those projects were done in natural areas to slow the flow of water as it reaches campus.
Hansen added that since 1997, any new campus construction that touches the floodplain always includes efforts to reduce the threat of flooding.
“When we do projects on campus, we are constantly remodeling the floodplain,” he said.
More information on flood mitigation at CSU, including animated maps showing the path that floodwater takes on campus, is available on the Facilities Management website. Photos and information about the 1997 flood are available on SOURCE.
