Understanding Your Flood Hazard

Each year, many parts of this country and the world experience catastrophic and deadly flooding. Fortunately, Wheat Ridge has not had a 100-year flood on any of its streams since becoming a City in 1969, but that does not mean properties within the City are immune to future flooding.

Almost everyone is at risk of flooding, no matter their home or business location. For propertieKnow the Flood Factss outside of a mapped floodplain, the risk is lower. However,  almost 2/3 of all flood claims in Wheat Ridge have been for properties outside the mapped floodplains.

For those properties in one of the mapped floodplains, the chance of flooding in any given year is at least one percent. Over the life of a 30-year mortgage, there is at least a 26 percent chance of being flooded. 

Properties in a mapped floodplain are nine times more likely to be flooded than to catch on fire. While a standard homeowner’s policy typically covers fire damage, losses due to flooding are not typically covered.

Flooding is one of the hazards included in the 2021 Jefferson County Multi-Hazard Plan (MHP). In addition to a lengthy discussion of countywide hazards, the MHP includes an Annex specifically for Wheat Ridge. The Annex contains both potential and historical hazard events and mitigation actions specific to the City. For more information on the MHP, visit: JeffCo Hazard Mitigation Plan

For those properties within the Clear Creek Floodplain, information on the flow is available at USGS Water Data. This data is collected from a structure called a stream gauge, which contains equipment that measures and records the water level in the stream. The nearest stream gauge to the City of Wheat Ridge on Clear Creek is located upstream of Golden, and findings are a good indicator of what is happening in that area.  The input is nearly live with less than a one-hour delay.