1975 - Maps Poudre River Floodplain for the first time

1979 - City enters the National Flood Insurance Program and adopts floodplain regulations

1980 - City Council establishes the Stormwater Utility out of concern for flooding in the community

1981 - Begins collection of Stormwater Utility monthly fees 

1982-1984 - Begins collection of Stormwater monthly capital fees 

Early 1980s - Develops City's first Basin Master Plans to define and map flood hazards in the community and recommend solutions

1984 - City adopts design criteria and construction standards for new development

Late 1980s and Early 1990s - Adresses flood hazards along Spring Creek including Creekside Park and Stuart/Stover channel improvements

1995 - Adopts Watershed Approach to Stormwater Quality to reflect community's values for habitat and stormwater quality

1997 - Experiences Spring Creek flood event - the most devastating and costly disaster in Fort Collins history. The storm is still the largest storm event ever recorded in an urban area in Colorado. Five people died and the community suffered an estimated $200 million in damages

1999 - Conducts study of historical rainfall records resulting in the adoption of new rainfall criteria for designing stormwater facilities and mapping floodplains

1999 - Installs automated flood early warning system of rainfall and stream gauges

1999-2002 - Completes three major stormwater projects to alleviate flooding in downtown Fort Collins: the Howes Street, Locust Street, and Oak Street Outfall projects

2002 - Re-maps City's floodplains based on new rainfall criteria adopted in 1999

2003 - Stormwater Utility receives its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharge permit for stormwater runoff

2004 - City Council adopts new Stormwater Masterplan to address flooding and water quality concerns in the community

1998 to 2007 - Removes approximately 2,480 structures from the floodplain through construction of capital projects

2005-2006 - Updates floodplain regulations

2008 - City of Fort Collins enters into an intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Wellington and Larimer County for stormwater cooperation in the Boxelder Basin

2009 - Embarks on review of stormwater program to further reflect City's values of environmental protection and enhancement while continuing the goal of public safety and reduced flood damages

2012 - Update the Master Plan with a 'watershed approach' to improve stormwater quality and rehabilitate urban streams with erosion problems.

2013 - Front Range Flooding in mid-September. The Poudre River experienced a 25- to 50-year flood, but there were no structural damages in Fort Collins. Many factors contributed to the minimal damages: open space preservation, prohibition of high-risk land uses in the floodplain, capital improvement projects, flood warning system and others.