This opinion piece by Natural Resources Manager David Bell originally appeared Monday, April 17, 2017, in the Longmont Times-Call newspaper, under the headline “Longmont balances flood protection with functional ecological system”.

Changes are taking place along the St. Vrain Creek. Big changes.

If you travel across the bridges at Main Street or Martin Street, you can’t help but see construction along the St. Vrain Creek. Trees and vegetation have been removed where necessary. Rocky debris left behind after the September 2013 flood has been hauled away. And construction equipment is everywhere: digging up soil, moving it elsewhere to reshape the area, and placing rocks.

After the 2013 flood, residents made it clear they didn’t want our community to experience such devastation again. And we listened. The construction you see now is to create a wider area to contain future flood waters, which will help make people and property safer. We call the project Resilient St. Vrain and, over the next several years, it will transform the St. Vrain Creek.

We’ve come a long way from the days of building concrete walls to convey water through a city. Our project will look nothing like that. Gone will be long rows of densely spaced trees as currently seen along some sections of the St. Vrain Creek. During the flood, many of those overgrown, crowded trees snagged debris and blocked storm waters from flowing freely.

Instead, new, wider spaces alongside the creek will hold flood waters when needed, rather than allowing them to overflow into neighborhoods filled with houses, businesses, public spaces, and people. We won’t always need this area; when we do, though, it will protect our community and help convey the additional water downstream safely.

The work area is currently filled with earth movers, excavators, and dump trucks. These large pieces of equipment are doing the work needed to take us to the next phase of flood protection.

After construction is finished here, currently anticipated for spring 2018, native grasses will be planted in the overflow areas. Trees planted in smaller groupings will contribute to a healthy ecosystem, providing habitat for wildlife and areas of needed shade for fish in the creek. Crews will also be able to more easily maintain the areas to prevent the overcrowding and debris buildup of the past.

Because fewer trees will be replanted in this area than were removed, the Resilient St. Vrain project is contributing to the city’s Tree Fund. That money ensures trees are planted as needed elsewhere throughout our urban forest. This is especially useful since last year’s discovery of Emerald Ash Borer in Longmont.
In this community where cycling and walking are so important to residents, rebuilding flood-damaged St. Vrain Greenway trails is a priority. Before the 2013 flood, many trails were located right next to the creek. They became impassable even during spring snowmelt and runoff.

Rebuilt trails will be located farther from the creek’s typical flow, but still near enough for pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy the sights and sounds of the St. Vrain Creek. These trails will also be built primarily on one side of the creek, creating healthy separation between human visitors and the wildlife, birds and fish that call the St. Vrain home.

The St. Vrain Creek won’t be off-limits to people, though. We’ve planned wonderful, interactive spaces along the creek, including Dickens Farm Nature Area, slated to open in late 2018. The greenway trail will meander through 50-plus acres, while a “lazy river” with slower-moving water will allow for water play—from dipping in a toe to floating in an inner tube when creek levels are high enough. Building the rock structures that route the creek through Dickens is part of what you see happening now.

Though flood waters rushed through Longmont and wreaked havoc in a matter of days, protecting ourselves from the impacts of similar disasters takes much longer. It will take many years—and finding some additional sources of funding—to complete all the necessary work from Left Hand Creek upstream to Airport Road. Resilient St. Vrain attempts to mitigate these flood risks while also prioritizing the natural habitat we all agree is important to us. We are listening, Longmont.