This opinion piece by Director of Engineering Services Nick Wolfrum originally appeared Tuesday, June 27, 2017, in the Longmont Times-Call newspaper, under the headline “Resilient St. Vrain balances protection for people, property, environment”.

Development and the St. Vrain Creek have gone hand-in-hand since the early days of the Chicago-Colorado colony. Historical records show planners designed the new town to include industrial buildings along the St. Vrain. As Longmont grew, so did development. Modern-day Longmont hosts a variety of commercial, industrial and residential areas along the St. Vrain Creek. Area wildlife, including some sensitive species, have survived and even learned to thrive in the diverse area along the creek.

After the 2013 flood that inundated Longmont and caused large amounts of damage along the St. Vrain Creek, residents made it clear they didn’t want our community to experience such devastation again. Work began on a project, now known as Resilient St. Vrain, to help protect people and property from future catastrophic flooding by reducing the size of the floodplain.

Installing a concrete channel would have been an easy way to convey the creek’s flow from one side of the city to the other. But the St. Vrain is much more than a drainage channel to Longmont. The stretch of St. Vrain Creek running from Button Rock Preserve to Sandstone Ranch Nature Area is among the finest natural features along the Front Range. This backbone of our community provides water, wildlife habitat, pedestrian and cycling trails, and valued natural space. For these reasons, the Resilient St. Vrain project requires much concern and attention for the environment in addition to protecting people and property. (Learn more about how this project incorporates environmentally responsible planning.)

Longmont worked in collaboration with federal, state and county agencies to ensure the Resilient St. Vrain project adequately considered environmental factors before proceeding. As part of an environmental assessment required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the project, Longmont consulted with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and both Boulder and Weld counties. These agencies (and several others) weighed in on the plans, and FEMA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment, saying the project would have “no significant adverse impact on the human and natural environment.”

Getting that initial go-ahead is not the endpoint, though, for reviewing and monitoring environmental considerations in this extensive project. Wildlife biologists and city staff continue to walk the work sites — consulting regularly with appropriate outside agencies — to ensure active construction is not harming area wildlife. Buffer zones and time frames are in place to protect several bird and fish species. Work in the Sandstone Ranch area is currently on shutdown to be sensitive to the bald eagle pair that have two new eaglets in their nest.

Throughout the heart of the city, existing developed areas run close to the creek banks. Resilient St. Vrain will not undo existing development. Work on this project will not change the number of feet required for wildlife riparian setback on future development. The floodplain update resulting from Resilient St. Vrain could ultimately lead to balanced redevelopment along the creek, as has been suggested in Envision Longmont and the St. Vrain Blueprint. Those who currently experience more frequent flooding because their properties are in the floodplain may find themselves in a new, safer situation after work on Resilient St. Vrain removes more than 800 acres and more than 500 properties from the floodplain. As with all development, any changes will be subject to city building codes and processes, and residents will continue to have a voice in how development progresses.

Another way we keep residents involved is through dedicated project communications. LongmontColorado.gov/ResilientStVrain is an anytime resource on the web offering information about all facets of the project. Our new blog (LongmontColorado.gov/rsvp-blog) goes more in-depth by featuring informative stories about the project.

Longmont has long been a community that values balance. From the very beginning, the goal of Resilient St. Vrain has been to restore and revitalize our creek in a way that considers people, property and the environment. That balance will remain at the forefront of each step in this journey to a more resilient Longmont.