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On June 10, 2004, the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District celebrated 35 years of existence with an event held at Centennial Gardens, a Denver Botanic Gardens facility next to Six Flags-Elitch Gardens, along the banks of the South Platte River in Denver. Over 250 of our friends, partners, contractors, consultants, and elected officials were treated to gourmet food, program, raft ride, and a historic trolley ride along the South Platte River.
Centennial Gardens is five acres of plants in a classical French formal design with a Colorado twist, composed with drought tolerance in mind. These plants are either native and drought-tolerant, or adaptable to drier conditions. With thanks to Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Parks and Recreation, the Gardens provided the perfect atmosphere for the event, especially since they are located within the 100-year floodplain of the South Platte River.
The program consisted of opening remarks and introductions by current District Board Chairperson and Arapahoe County Commissioner Debra Vickrey. Joe Shoemaker, former State Senator, then spoke about the creation of the District and its early years; followed by Art Patton, an original and current board member, and professional engineer, who spoke on the evolution of the District from 1969 to present; followed by former Board Chairperson and former Denver City Council President Cathy Reynolds, who spoke on the direction the District has taken the last 35 years. The program concluded with a special presentation from the District staff to retiring Executive Director, Scott Tucker.
Following the program a raft ride on the South Platte River from Lakewood Gulch to City of Cuernavaca Park was conducted, courtesy of the River Reach Youth Initiative. The historic Platte Valley Trolley (Breezer) provided transportation to the drop off site where twelve brave souls challenged the mighty South Platte River. Additional trolley riders were treated to a short ride up Lakewood Gulch and a brief lesson on the role the trolley played in Denver history.
Back in 1965 the South Platte River roared through Littleton, Englewood, and Denver, including the site now known as Centennial Gardens, causing immense damage to the communities. This killer flood sent a clear message to the communities that a metro-wide organization to address intergovernmental drainage and flood control issues was sorely needed. A group of concerned engineers called the Five County Engineers Group began addressing this need in 1967. Soon thereafter the group became known as the Urban Drainage Advisory Committee of the Denver Regional Council of Governments.
One of the first activities of this group was to develop the Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual. This manual was the first of its kind and has become a model for other similar documents prepared throughout the United States and the world. Out of legislation sponsored by then State Senator Joe Shoemaker, the Urban Drainage and Flood Control Act was passed on June 7, 1969. Governor Love signed the bill into law June 14, 1969 and thus the District was born.
Today the District covers an area of 1608 square miles and includes Denver, parts of the 6 surrounding counties, and all or parts of 33 incorporated cities and towns. A twenty-three member Board of Directors governs the District. The board oversees a $20 million annual program with only 21 permanent full-time employees and nine part-time student interns. The District receives its funding from four different property tax mill levies. These funds allow the District to operate five programs: Master Planning, Design and Construction, Maintenance, Floodplain Management, and South Platte River.
In summary, the celebration event and the first 35 years of the District were a rousing success. We look forward to "Working With You" for at least another 35 years.
