Colorado could very well see the same amount of rain that produced the 1965 deluge, but state engineers believe they’re ready.
A lot has changed in 40 years.
Since the 1965 flood, Chatfield and Bear Creek reservoirs were built for flood control, giving metro Denver three places to hold back a storm surge, counting Cherry Creek, which was completed in 1950 after a series of floods in the 1930s.
All three are designed to accommodate more than 2 feet of rain, more than the 1965 storm dished out, said state engineer Hal Simpson.
“We haven’t ever had any of that magnitude that I know of,” Simpson said.
Flooding remains serious business in Colorado. There are 334 communities with flood-prone areas, covering 65,000 homes, 15,000 businesses and 250,000 people, according to the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
The state weathers an average of $17.6 million in flood losses annually, and the statewide toll since 1900 is almost $5 billion.
Some residents in the fast-developing south metro area question the capability of the 55-year-old Cherry Creek Reservoir.
A federal study in 1993 suggested Cherry Creek might not withstand another catastrophic flood. Then in 1999, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicted a dam failure would endanger 10,000 lives and cause $15 billion in damage.
The study, however, has since been updated, deeming the dam strong enough for much more rain than the 1965 flood dished out, Simpson said.
Six years ago, Jan Watson of Parker was among those who pushed for repairs on the reservoir’s dam, fearing her home might someday be in the water’s path.
The state’s reassurances brought her little comfort Wednesday.
“I guess we can all just hope Hal Simpson knows what he’s talking about,” she said.
Residents can keep an eye on the skies while they’re hoping, because the weather pattern that delivered the 1965 flood is common, said Klaus Wolter, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Diagnostic Center in Boulder.
Rain and clouds had lingered for weeks before that fateful summer day in 1965.
Warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico had mixed with a cold pattern from the Northeast, and the turbulent stew stalled along the Front Range for 23 days, packing in moisture that would eventually spawn the tremendous rainfall on June 16, 1965.
“This kind of pattern is typical for these kinds of flooding events,” Wolter said, “And they can happen anytime.”
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-820-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
