What Mile High Flood District does

Mile High Flood District (MHFD), legally known as the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, is a Colorado government special district established in 1969 in response to the catastrophic 1965 South Platte River flood. The district provides regional floodplain management, drainage infrastructure planning and construction, stream restoration, watershed master planning, and an early flood warning program across 1,608 square miles serving approximately 2.8 million residents in Denver and parts of six surrounding counties. MHFD is governed by a 22-member board of locally elected officials and funded primarily through a 1.0 mill property tax levy authorized by the Colorado legislature.

MHFD's core technology platform is the MHFD Confluence system, a web-based GIS application that integrates mapping, project creation, budgeting, project management, master plans, and stream assessments into a single interface. The platform, built on Esri's ArcGIS JavaScript SDK since the V3 upgrade in August 2025, serves as the primary data and workflow backbone for partner municipalities. MHFD also maintains the Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual, a comprehensive technical reference standard adopted in 1971 and widely used across Colorado, and operates the Flood Warning Program in partnership with the National Weather Service.

The district operates on a government-funded model with no direct fees to residents. Revenue is generated through property tax mill levies (1.0 mill for most counties), returned pro rata to communities for capital improvement projects, planning studies, and flood hazard mapping. The 2017 Development Services Enterprise added a voluntary private-sector partnership channel for land developers. Strategic partners include FEMA (as the first Cooperating Technical Partner since 1999), Colorado State University, the National Weather Service, and Esri. MHFD's customer base comprises local municipalities and counties within its legislatively defined boundary, with no ability to expand geographically without legislative action.

Name

Mile High Flood District

Legal name

Urban Drainage and Flood Control District

Website

https://mhfd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mile High Flood District is a Colorado government special district providing regional floodplain management, drainage infrastructure, stream restoration, and flood warning services across 1,608 square miles and 2.8 million residents in the Denver metropolitan area, funded by property tax mill levies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flood Control and Stormwater Management Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Flood Control & Protection Infrastructure (Levees, Floodwalls, Gates, Pump Stations) (EUANAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Stormwater & Drainage Infrastructure Construction (Sewer, Detention, Outfalls) (IMAFAGAF)

Keywords

• Floodplain management services
• Stormwater drainage infrastructure
• Watershed master planning
• Stream restoration projects
• Flood warning systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Mill Levy: MHFD is funded through a property tax mill levy authorized by the Colorado legislature. The main mill levy is 0.900 mills and South Platte River Mill Levy is 0.100 mills, totaling 1.0 mill for Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties. Boulder and Broomfield Counties have a total of 0.900 mills (no South Platte River Mill Levy). Tax revenues are returned to communities pro rata for planning studies, capital improvement projects, flood hazard mapping, and stream rehabilitation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mile High Flood District provides regional floodplain management, drainage infrastructure planning and design, stream restoration and construction, watershed master planning, flood warning services, and development referral review to local government partners within its 1,608-square-mile boundary in the Denver metropolitan area. It supports these services with the proprietary MHFD Confluence GIS platform, a public GIS Data Hub, and the Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual, all funded through a property tax mill levy.

Product overview

Mile High Flood District is a government special district (not a typical software company) that operates as a flood management and stormwater agency. The organization's core 'product' is the MHFD Confluence web platform, which serves as their primary data communications and management system combining GIS Mapping, Project Creation, Budgeting, Project Management, Master Plans, and Stream Assessments. Beyond the Confluence platform, MHFD provides a portfolio of public services including Floodplain Management, Flood Warning Program, Stream Projects, Watershed Master Planning, and access to the GIS Data Hub. The district also offers professional education through the Stream Management Academy, Construction Management Academy, and Annual Symposium. The Criteria Manual serves as the technical reference standard for stormwater management in Colorado. These offerings work together as an integrated system for flood risk reduction and stream management across the Denver metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MHFD Confluence MHFD's primary online data communications and management platform combining GIS Mapping, Project Creation, Budgeting, Project Management, Master Plans, and Stream Assessments into a single web interface for local government partners and staff.
• Flood Warning Program Provides early warnings of potential and imminent flood threats to local governments to enhance emergency preparedness and response.
• Floodplain Management Provides floodplain mapping, regulatory guidance, and technical assistance for development referrals and flood hazard mitigation to local government partners.
• Stream Projects
• Watershed Master Planning
• GIS Data Hub
• Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual Comprehensive technical standards documentation (Urban Storm Drainage Criteria Manual) providing guidelines for stormwater management, flood control design, and best management practices, widely used throughout Colorado.
• Stream Management Academy Professional development program bringing diverse groups of professionals together to strengthen collaboration on watershed and stream projects.
• Construction Management Academy
• Annual Symposium Annual educational event for stormwater professionals featuring presentations on drainage, flood control, and stream management topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protects people, property, and environment across 1,608 square miles serving 2.8 million residents
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colorado State University (CSU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013MHFD helped secure a grant to start the Colorado Stormwater Center at CSU in 2013. The district pitched the idea of a statewide stormwater education program and partnered with the university to establish this resource for stormwater management education and research.
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999MHFD became the first FEMA Cooperating Technical Partner in 1999. This partnership creates ongoing collaboration to keep flood hazard maps current and increase public awareness of flood risk. The program enables MHFD to maintain and update flood insurance rate maps for communities within the district.
• City and County of DenvercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary municipal partner since the district's founding. Denver was a partner in the first masterplans published for Weir and Sanderson Gulch in 1972. The city works with MHFD on floodplain management, stream restoration, and flood warning systems.
• City of LakewoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the first masterplans published in 1972 and continues as a key municipal partner. MHFD worked with Lakewood to address flood hazards including the tragic 2007 Lakewood Gulch incident where a child was swept away.
• National Weather Service (NWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMHFD works in partnership with NWS to enhance flood warning services provided to local governments. This partnership supports the Flood Warning Program that provides early alerts about potential and imminent flood threats.
• Pre-qualified ContractorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMHFD maintains a list of pre-qualified contractors for heavy civil construction and general stream maintenance work. Contractors are pre-qualified through a Statement of Qualifications process to perform stream reconstruction, rehabilitation, and routine maintenance including mowing and debris cleanup.
• EsricoreTechnology or IntegrationMHFD Confluence platform transitioned from Mapbox and CARTO to ArcGIS JavaScript SDK by Esri, bringing full integration with Esri's GIS infrastructure for mapping and spatial data management capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• King County Flood Control District: Washington State special district providing flood management services across King County (Seattle metro) using a property tax levy. Directly comparable to MHFD as a regional flood control special district with similar governance by elected officials and broad service area mandate.
• Harris County Flood Control District: Texas special district that plans, designs, constructs, and maintains flood control infrastructure across Harris County (Houston metro), funded through a dedicated ad valorem tax levy. Closely comparable to MHFD in statutory structure, mill levy funding, regional coordination mandate, and capital project delivery model.
• Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA): Joint powers authority managing flood risk across the Sacramento region, funded by property-based assessments and providing regional coordination of levee and flood control infrastructure. Comparable to MHFD in regional flood mandate, multi-jurisdictional governance, and reliance on dedicated property-based funding.

Others

• American Society of Civil Engineers - Environmental & Water Resources Institute: Professional association setting technical standards for stormwater, floodplain, and water resources engineering, including criteria manuals and continuing education (e.g., Stream Management Academy-equivalent programs). Comparable to MHFD as an influencer of industry standards and education in the stormwater and flood management domain, though not a direct service provider.
• Rivers & Lands Conservancy: California-based nonprofit land conservancy focused on stream and river corridor preservation and restoration. Comparable to MHFD in stream corridor and watershed stewardship mission, but operating as a conservation nonprofit rather than a government special district with taxing authority.

Broad incumbents

• Tennessee Valley Authority: Federal corporation with broad responsibilities for flood control, navigation, and water management across the Tennessee River basin. Comparable to MHFD as a larger, established entity operating in regional flood and water infrastructure, but with federal scope and mandate rather than MHFD's county-level special district focus.

Regional players

• Urban Drainage and Water Quality District (Utah): Salt Lake County special district providing stormwater quality and flood control services with a similar statutory structure and property tax funding model. Comparable to MHFD in organizational form and service scope, though operating in a different geographic market with different growth dynamics.

Emerging players

• City of Austin Watershed Protection: Municipal department providing flood mitigation, water quality, and stream restoration services within Austin, Texas. Comparable to MHFD in service scope but operating as a city department rather than a multi-jurisdictional special district, with smaller geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FloodControlDistrict
• Xx.com/MHFloodDistrict
• Facebookfacebook.com/MileHighFloodDistrict
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/milehighflooddistrict

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mile High Flood District