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<br />2.0 AREA STUDIED <br /> <br />2.1 Scope of Study <br /> <br />This Flood Insurance Study covers the unincorporated areas of Alamosa <br />County, Colorado. The area of study is shown on the Vicinity Map <br />(Figure 1). Excluded from this study are the City of Alamosa, the <br />Rio Grande National Forest, and the Great Sand Dunes National Monu- <br />ment. <br /> <br />Floods caused by the overflow of the Rio Grande in the developed <br />areas surrounding the City of Alamosa were studied in detail. Due to <br />lack of development, three areas were studied by approximate methods. <br />Flooding in the first area, located approximately 4 miles northwest <br />of the City of Alamosa along the Denver and Rio Grande Western Rail- <br />road, is caused by Rio Grande overflow. Flooding in the second area, <br />located approximately 3 miles southwest of Alamosa along u.s. High- <br />way 285, is influenced by overflow from Rock Creek and shallow over- <br />land sheet flow from Gato Creek. The flooding in the third area, <br />located in northwestern Alamosa County just south of State Highway <br />150 and west of Rio Grande National Forest, is influenced by the <br />overflow of North and South Zapata Creeks. <br /> <br />The areas studied in detail were chosen with consideration given to <br />all proposed development through 1981. <br /> <br />2.2 Community Description <br /> <br />Alamosa County is located in the San Luis Valley in south-central <br />Colorado. The City of Denver is located approximately 219 miles <br />north of the county, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, is located directly <br />south, approximately 150 miles away. <br /> <br />Development of the area was directly linked to the expanding Rio <br />Grande Railroad system, which reached the City of Alamosa in July <br />1878. The railroad led to the rapid development of mining and <br />agriculture. Present activity in the San Luis Valley centers around <br />farming and ranching, both entirely dependent on irrigation. <br /> <br />The U. S. Bureau of Census lists the 1970 county population as <br />11,211, with 6,698 people living in the City of Alamosa. The <br />next largest concentration of people in the county is found in the <br />community of East Alamosa, which is separated from the city by the <br />Rio Grande. East Alamosa, along with the areas north and west <br />of the City of Alamosa, is the fastest developing part of the county. <br /> <br />The Rio Grande, one of the principal streams in the Southwestern <br />United States, is an interstate and international river. From its <br /> <br />2 <br />