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Integrated Watershed Management Planning: Recovery and Mitigation Efforts Following the 2013 Colorado Floods
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 - 3:00-4:30 p.m. EDT
PRESENTERS
- Brian Varrella, Colorado Department of Transportation
- Chris Sturm, Colorado Water Conservation Board
ABSTRACT
In early September 2013 several days of heavy rain led to massive flooding across Colorado’s front range communities. Streams reclaimed floodplains, destroyed roads, bridges, homes, and other infrastructure. Over the next five years many coalitions of river and highway professionals and local citizens implemented 117 river restoration projects and 200 infrastructure projects in ten different watersheds that drain from the continental divide to the front range. The Colorado Water Conservation Board, an agency within Colorado’s Department of Natural Resources, led the effort to restore riverscapes within these watersheds. The Colorado Department of Transportation worked with these same partners to restore highways completely washed away from the same work areas. The resulting symbiosis created a new multi-agency standard of practice.
BIO
Brian Varrella is the Resident Engineer of the Hydraulics group at the Colorado Department of Transportation, Region 4 (northeast). He specializes in hydraulic analysis, floodplain management and wildfire recovery, and has contributed to projects and trainings in 23 states. He has 9 years of private sector experience, 9 years as a local floodplain manager, and just completed 10 years in service at the State of Colorado. Brian had the privilege of leading the team that delivered the last two 2013 Flood Disaster recovery projects for CDOT with $70 million of federal disaster aid and supported another $680 million of work across the state, and also supported wildfire recovery from the High Park Fire in 2013 through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program with the City of Fort Collins. He is the survivor of 3 flood disasters and has dedicated his career to making communities more resilient to foreseeable natural hazards.
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