A Jurisdictional Dam is a dam creating a reservoir with a capacity of more than 100 acre-feet, or creates a reservoir with a surface area in excess of 20 acres at the high-water line, or exceeds 10 feet in height measured vertically from the elevation of the lowest point of the natural surface of the ground where that point occurs along the longitudinal centerline of the dam up to the crest of the emergency spillway of the dam. For reservoirs created by excavation, or where the invert of the outlet conduit is placed below the surface of the natural ground at its lowest point beneath the dam, the jurisdictional height shall be measured from the invert of the outlet at the longitudinal centerline of the embankment or from the bottom of the excavation at the longitudinal centerline of the dam, whichever is greatest. Jurisdictional height is defined in Rule 4.2.19. The State Engineer shall have final authority over determination of the jurisdictional height of the dam.

Hydrology Basin Phases initiated post-flood event of September 2013. The State of Colorado created a first-of-its-kind watershed restoration program utilizing funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Through Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery funds, the Watershed Resilience Pilot Program provides grants to watershed coalitions for staff support and resilient river restoration projects. These grant funds build coalition capacity, bringing together the diverse range of stakeholders required to restore disaster-impacted watersheds. River restoration projects in this program not only restore natural systems, but achieve multiple benefits, such as increasing community connectivity by tying into trail systems, promoting safety by protecting infrastructure, enhancing local economy by incorporating recreational opportunities and building resiliency for communities and ecosystems. These are the basins and associated phases

Shortly after the floods, the State of Colorado set aside funding to support local efforts to develop watershed master plans. With support from the State, 11 master plans were developed with the understanding that watershed recovery and resilience requires a holistic approach from the top of the watershed to the bottom, and also requires the engagement and participation of a broad range of watershed stakeholders, including local and state government, non-profits, businesses and landowners. The master planning process provided a collaborative approach to identify and prioritize needs, to develop projects and to guide the implementation. The master planning process also catalyzed the formation of watershed coalitions which are now actively guiding restoration and resiliency efforts within the flood impacted watersheds.