‘Horrendous’ Floods Drench Park Hill Homes and Gardens

Inadequate Street Drainage Taking A Toll

“Ol’ Man River’s gone high, wild and angry.

He’s taken the bottomlands back.”

— From Big Water Rising, by Tom Russell & Iris Dement

The word “bottomlands” is far more evocative than “floodplain.” So, let’s talk about the bottomlands in Greater Park Hill. First, though, I want to share a portion of an email sent to me last month, from one of our fellow residents.

Hi Brian, 

I live in North Park Hill, 33rd and Olive, and my street is plagued with horrendous street flooding due to the inadequate street drains. The water comes back out of the surrounding drains and heads toward my house, which unfortunately is at the lowest point of Olive.

The street flooding wasn’t disclosed to me when I bought the house, my first house, so this has been a complete nightmare. A month after I moved in, a storm came through town. I was unaware of the flooding and therefore my roommate’s car was parked out front. It flooded. Almost $10,000 in water damage to her car. I shouldn’t have an anxiety attack every time I see storm clouds rolling over the mountains.

My next-door neighbor who has lived in his house since 1971 stated the streets have been flooding since then! A few neighbors put up retaining walls in hopes of keeping the water away from their homes. Sunday’s storm sent water right over their walls.

Several years ago, on a relief trip with a group of students from Colorado College, helping with post-Katrina damage in Biloxi, MS, I learned very graphically about how deeply personal flood loss can be. I am shifting my emphasis in this column for the next few months to share with you where the places are in Park Hill that you shouldn’t park your car, if the forecast calls for heavy rain.

     My guide is the set of maps showing 1% chance (aka the 100-year) flood depths for various watersheds in the city, maps, which are part of the city’s 2014 Storm Drainage Master Plan but are not part of the Flood Insurance Studies administered by FEMA. I am starting this effort in Northeast Park Hill, and then moving farther south each subsequent month. There are just too many places in Greater Park Hill to list them all in one month’s column.

Northeast Park Hill includes all of the area between Colorado Boulevard and Quebec Street that lies north of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, extending beyond I-70 to the northern city limits.

Three primary flow paths run through Northeast Park Hill, and two of them eventually join in the area immediately north and south of I-70, between Colorado Boulevard and Holly Street. The third flow path generally lies farther west and south of the other two, crossing I-70 around Steele Street.

There are serious bottomland issues north of Smith Road and south of I-70, between Colorado Boulevard and Holly Street, as well as north of I-70, especially between Dahlia Street and Vasquez Boulevard.

North of 38th Avenue it is largely industrial, and immediately west of Quebec Street it is largely commercial. North of 35th Avenue and west of Dahlia Street is the Park Hill Golf Course. Let’s concentrate on the remaining area north of MLK Boulevard, south of 38th Avenue from Dahlia Street to just past Pontiac Street, and south of 35th Avenue from Colorado Boulevard to Dahlia Street.

Blocks Where East Branch of Upper Park Hill Basin May Exceed 1.5 Feet of Flood Depth During A 1% Event

• South half of 3300 block of Olive Street (and alley between Olive and Pontiac Streets)

• Portions of 3200 and 3300 blocks of Newport Street

• 3500 block of Niagara Street

• Northern portion of 3500 block and southern portion of 3600 block of Magnolia Street

• Various portions of Monaco Street Parkway from MLK Boulevard to 38th Avenue, especially north of 36th Avenue (continues north of 38th Avenue)

• 33rd Avenue near Newport Street

• 6600 block and 6700 block of 35th Avenue

• 6500 block and 6600 block of 36th Avenue

• Eastern half of 6400 block of 38th Avenue

The highest terrain sending stormwater down the West Branch of the Upper Park Hill Basin is near the Richthofen Castle, at about 12th Avenue and Pontiac Street, in the Montclair neighborhood.

Blocks Where West Branch of Upper Park Hill Basin May Exceed 1.5 Feet of Flood Depth During A 1% Event

• 3200 block of Ivy Street

• Ivy Street immediately north and immediately south of 35th Avenue

• Park east of Recreation Center

• 3500 block of Ivanhoe Street

• 3500 block and 3600 block of Holly Street (continues all the way along Holly Street from 38th Avenue to north side District 2 Denver Police Station)

• Eastern half of 5700 block of MLK Boulevard

• 33rd Avenue immediately east and immediately west of Ivanhoe Street

• 5600 block and 5700 block of 35th Avenue

The stormwater affecting the Lower Park Hill Basin may from as far away as 17th Avenue Parkway between Leyden Street and Krameria Street, demonstrating that some basin divides are rather mundane looking.

Blocks Where Lower Park Hill Basin May Exceed 1.5 Feet of Flood Depth During A 1% Event

• 3200 block, 3300 block and 3400 block of Elm Street

• Eudora Street from MLK Boulevard to 38th Avenue

• 3600 block of Dahlia Street

• 4800 block and 4900 block of MLK Boulevard

• 4800 block and 4900 block of E. Thrill Place

• Eastern half of 4800 block of 35th Avenue

• 4800 block of 38th Avenue

Next month I’ll look at flow paths in North Park Hill. Let me know if you’d be interested in walking your watershed to get to know it (and maybe to meet some of your watershed neighbors).

Brian Hyde is an expert in floodplain management and stream restoration. He wants your feedback at westerly_connect_brian@comcast.net or 720-939-6039.