Water Center at Colorado State University Hosts “Flood ’97” Conference

As part of its mission to bring together different aspects of water management, the Water Center at Colorado State University will host an all-day conference Nov. 6 to assess the July 28 disaster that hit Fort Collins and the university.

At the conference, city and university officials, hydrologists and engineers will analyze the storm, its aftermath and the resulting technical, social, and economic consequences. The conference will help the university and city communities gain a better perspective of the disaster and also will lay the foundation for in-depth study.

"Water issues cut across different disciplines. It is the Water Center’s goal to bring together topics which play a role in water management and to inform the university and community about important water problems," said Neil Grigg, director of the Water Center and department chairman of civil engineering at Colorado State. "The center is hosting this conference to create a synthesis of the various aspects of the disaster which struck Fort Collins this summer."

The Water Center was created in 1995 as an umbrella organization for the many water programs at Colorado State. The center is a partnership which allows the university’s water experts to work together in teaching and research and stretches across programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Engineering and the College of Natural Resources. Colorado State offers more than 100 courses and over a dozen degree programs related to water. The diverse range of programs includes chemical and bioresource engineering, wildlife and fisheries, watershed sciences, soil and crop sciences, and aquatic ecology.

This year, the center has coordinated research projects, interdisciplinary classes and student symposiums.

Topics at the conference will include storm patterns, comparison of radar and rain gauge observations, stormwater systems, runoff analysis and city and university response to the disaster. Federal officials will provide a further overview of the hydrology and scientific aspects of the event.

The conference will be held in the North Ballroom of the Lory Student Center on campus. The program will begin at 8:30 a.m., presentations will conclude at 5 p.m. and a reception will close the event. Throughout the conference, participants may view videos, slides and posters in the Cherokee Park Room in the Lory Student Center. The conference is free, but space is limited and registration is necessary.

For more information on the Water Center or to register for the conference, call Marilee Rowe in the civil engineering department at (970) 491-5247.