The rapid growth of population in the Front Range Urban Corridor of Colorado is causing intense competition for available land resources. One form of competition posing serious problems in indiscriminate development on flood plains along creeks and rivers. Flood plains are natural features of the landscape developed by streams in carry water in excess of channel capacity. Although not used as often by the stream, flood plains are as much a part of the stream system as is the channel. Whenever man competes with this natural function of the flood plain he must inevitably pay the price through property damage and varying degrees of human suffering Flood damages in the United States have been estimated to average about \$1 billion annually (American Public Works Association, 1966.) This tremendous waste of national resources is borne not only by those citizens in direct contact with floods but also to a lesser degree by all citizens through increased cost of public services. Thus, floods are of concern to the entire community, and solutions to existing or potential problems should be a community effort.
