FOX31 Denver

How Denver flood protection held up in the monsoon

DENVER (KDVR) — Many parts of the Denver metro were still cleaning up Monday night from flash flooding on Sunday.

Several drivers on Interstate 70 had to be rescued and carried to dry ground as significant rainfall poured in a short amount of time. The construction company responsible for work on the Central 70 Project said an error in its drainage pump system prevented the pumps from turning on automatically Sunday.

The floods have many wondering if it’s time to rethink some of the drainage systems in their neighborhood.

FOX31 checked in with Denver to see how its flood protection systems performed under the stress.

How a major Denver flood protection project held up during the monsoon deluge

Despite some temporary Sunday street flooding, Denver’s relatively new flood prevention system passed its first significant test. It’s called the “Platte to Park Hill project,” said Vanessa Lacayo, with the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, or DOTI.

“What we saw, by and large, that system worked well, as we intended it to,” Lacayo said.

The project, completed in the spring of 2018, constructed a new, open channel along the 39th Avenue greenway to collect and convey stormwater into a large, 500-yard, 12-foot by 15-foot concrete box culvert.

The culvert feeds into the South Platte River, just along the west end of the Denver Coliseum parking lot.

“It’s one of the largest flood-protection projects within the city,” Lacayo said.

With a drier week ahead, now may be the time for residents to clear storm drains of debris.