News Briefs

Scott Tucker named Top Ten Leader

Scott Tucker, District Executive Director since 1972, was named one of the Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year by the American Public Works Association (APWA) at its International Public Works Congress and Exposition in San Diego in August. The purpose of the award is "to inspire excellence and dedication in public service by recognizing the outstanding achievements of individual public works professionals." Following is the awards program description of Scott's achievements.

Since 1972, L. Scott Tucker has been the Executive Director of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, which encompasses 12,200 square miles consisting of six counties and 28 cities and towns. During his 31-year tenure as Executive Director, he has seen the District grow from a relatively small agency focused on the planning of flood control improvements to a major force in the design and construction of flood control projects throughout the Denver metro area's numerous urban waterways.

Tucker facilitated the District and FEMA in executing the first Cooperating Technical Partnership agreement in the U.S. in May 1999. He believed that because of the continuing growth of the Denver region it was important to work with FEMA to create and maintain accurate, up-to-date flood hazard data for the 32 communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, which are served by the District.

Tucker has been a member of APWA since 1972. His involvement with the association includes President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chapter Delegate of the Colorado Chapter (1976-1980), Executive Council Member, Institute for Water Resources (President 1984-1985), and the Product Users and Suppliers Council (1990-1993). He is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Denver Regional Council of Governments, EPA Federal Advisory Committee on Phase II Stormwater Sources, and the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District.

Governor Owens Reappoints Ben Urbonas to the CCBWQA Board

Governor Bill Ovens reappointed Ben Urbonas to the Board of Directors of the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority to a term expiring July, 2007. Ben was originally appointed by the Governor to serve on this board in 2001 after the State legislature redefined the board's structure. As redefined at that time, the board has to have one elected official from each of the five municipalities within the Cherry Creek watershed, one representative from the special districts operating within the watershed and six citizens appointed by the Governor. The latter have to have two members with water quality expertise, two to represent recreational interests and two to represent environmental interests. Ben was appointed as one of the two with water quality expertise.

Ben Urbonas Receives ASCE 2003 State-of-the-Art Civil Engineering Award

The American Society of Civil Engineers presented an award to Ben Urbonas of our staff, along with Jonathan Jones of Wright Water Engineers, Inc. and Eric Strecker, P.E. of GeoSyntec for the development of the National BMP Database. The three were the Co-Principal Investigators for this ASCE project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The database can be accessed through its own web site at http://www.bmpdatabase.org.

This database provided the first compilation of scientifically defensible data about stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) performance throughout the United States and countries outside the USA. Currently it has data from approximately 200 structural and non-structural BMP test sites and more are being added as data become available. Along with the data for water quality, it contains information on local precipitation and climatic conditions when the data were taken, peak flow and storm volumes recoded at the test site and a plethora of detailed design information about each BMP's structural installation or non-structural practice. The combination of all this information provides engineers, scientists and other professionals with scientifically defensible data to develop relationships between various BMPs, their design and performance.

Maintenance and Construction Information Posted on Website
by Libby Kaiser, Student Intern

This past year the District added work program and construction information to its website to enhance awareness of Maintenance Program activities. The Maintenance page features the annual work program that outlines the anticipated work for the current year. The work is separated into three categories: Routine, Restoration, and Rehabilitation. Each line item gives drainageway name, project location and estimated project budget.

The Maintenance page includes a complete schedule for routine maintenance work items, which will allow residents to find out when mowing or debris removal will be done on drainageways in their area. The page can be found by clicking on the Maintenance link at the bottom of the District's homepage.

A list of ongoing construction projects has also been added to the website, so now residents can go online and find out information about projects in their neighborhood. During construction there may be temporary impacts to parks, traffic, and street parking. The website will be updated regularly and allow residents to have the latest information about project schedules and anticipated completion dates. Construction information can be found by following the Construction link, also at the bottom of the homepage. If you have any questions regarding a specific construction project, contact information is also included on the website.

District Conference Scheduled

Mark your calendars now for the District's "Stormwater Planning and Design: Current Issues and Guidelines" conference to be held April 28, 2004, at the Holiday Inn, Northglenn.

The tentative agenda includes:

Recent Developments in Drainage Law
Maintenance Eligibility and Master Plan Implementation
Common Mistakes made during CLOMR/LOMR Submittals
Design of Drainageway Structures for New Development
Inspection Procedures at Drainageway Construction Sites
West Nile Virus Update
Design Considerations for Water-Quality BMPs
Report on Field Testing and Design of Structural BMPs
New Development Programs under Municipal Stormwater Permits

Watch your mail or our website for more information.

District wins accounting award

For the fifteenth year in a row the District has received a "Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting" from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

The certificate is presented to government units whose comprehensive annual financial reports achieve the highest standards in government accounting and financial reporting. Congratulations to Frank Dobbins, Chief of Finance and Accounting, for continuing this string of awards.