FLOOD10349

• County: Gunnison
• Community: Marble and Vicinity
• Stream Name: Crystal River
• Title: Floodplain Information Report - Crystal River - Marble and Vicinity
• Date: 5/1/2004
• Prepared For: Marble and CWCB
• Prepared By: ICON Engineering, Inc.
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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Supplemental background information and assistance III project
coordination was supplied by the CWCB.

1.4 Previous Studies

No previous detailed floodplain studies have been completed for the
Crystal River in the vicinity of the Town of Marble, Colorado. A Flood
Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM), dated June 17, 1977, was previously
developed for the Town of Marble and Gunnison County by the U.S,
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Insurance
Administration (Reference 4).

2.0 AREA STUDIED

2.1 Scope of Study

This Flood Plain Information Report covers a reach of the Crystal River
within the geographic area of the Town of Marble and Unincorporated
Gunnison County, Colorado. For this report, the Crystal River has been
studied using detailed methods for a reach of approximately 4.5 miles in
length. The study reach extends from just downstream of the Gunnison
County Road 3 Bridge to upstream of the Beaver Lake State Fishing Area.

2.2 Community Description

Gunnison County is located in central-western Colorado, approximately
130 miles south of the Colorado-Wyoming state line. The Town of
Marble is located in northwestern Gunnison County. The Town of Marble
was founded in 1881 by settlers and prospectors and was officially
incorporated in 1899. The peak population of Marble occurred from 1912
to 1917, when the town supported a population of around 1,400 people.
Currently, the population of Marble is around 300 people. One of the
world's largest concentrations of marble is located in the mountains
immediately to the south of the Town which was the source of the town's
growing economy in the early 1900's.

2.3 Watershed Description

The Crystal River watershed is within the Colorado River Basin and
extends high into the Elk Mountain Range in the Rocky Mountains. The
watershed also encompasses area from the White River National Forest
and Maroon-Bells Snowmass Wilderness. The elevation of the watershed
approaches 14,200 feet at the top of Maroon Peak, located within the
famous mountain group, the Maroon Bells. Watershed elevation drops to

ICON Engineering, Inc.
May 2004

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