DOTI unveils interactive 2025 Storm Drainage Master Plan with public web tool and $2B unconstrained needs list
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Summary
DOTI presented a digital Storm Drainage Master Plan and interactive public map covering roughly half of modeled flood risk areas so far; the master plan identifies more than 200 potential drainage improvements with an unconstrained estimated need of about $2 billion and is intended to feed CIP prioritization and partnership planning.
The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure on Nov. 5 rolled out the City’s 2025 Storm Drainage Master Plan and an interactive public website that DOTI said will let residents, engineers and council offices view urban flood‑risk mapping and a pipeline of potential drainage projects.
DOTI engineers said the plan uses integrated 1D/2D modeling — a first for Front Range master plans, they said — to capture flooding where stormwater moves through buried pipes as well as open channels. Tom Blackman, an engineer on the planning team, called the work a technical asset inventory rather than a funding plan: it identifies system capacity and where new pipe or improvements may be needed but does not itself allocate CIP funds.
DOTI said it has modeled about 35–50% of the city to date (areas prioritized where prior capital work or known drainage issues exist) and has integrated recent Mile High Flood District studies. Project leads said the master plan lists more than 200 potential improvements with a combined unconstrained cost estimate approaching $2 billion.
The public tool: DOTI staff demonstrated the ArcGIS‑based site (demarkgov.org/stormwater) and said it is ADA‑compliant and includes language access. The site layers FEMA maps, the city’s urban flood‑risk areas and potential improvement projects along with background analyses so users can search by address or basin and see historical plots and proposed interventions.
Prioritization and funding: DOTI staff and the environmental director explained the master plan is an unconstrained technical needs list that feeds partner planning (Mile High Flood District), one‑water and wastewater CIP prioritization. Projects with multiple funding partners and multiple community benefits are likeliest to advance into funded six‑year CIP programs.
Ending: Council members asked for follow‑up briefings on priority basins such as Valverde and Montclair. DOTI said it will continue modeling additional basins, coordinate with Mile High Flood District and provide periodic updates as projects move from technical need into funded programs.
