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Sloans Lake Basin was studied by the SC using approximate methods. An approximate analysis of Marston Lake North Drainage Basin was included in this study by Dames & Moore at the request ofFEMA. Marston Lake North has been revised to reflect channel improvements, the addition . of culverts and a sedimentation basin. Approximate analyses were used to study those areas having a low development." potential or minimal flood hazards. The scope and methods of study were proposed to, and agreed upon by, FEMA and the City and County of Denver. 2.2 Community Description The coextensive City and County of Denver is situated on gently rolling land 40 miles east of the Continental Divide in north central Colorado. The altitude is 5,280 feet on the steps of the State Capitol Building and is the reason for the title "Mile High City." Panoramic views of the towering ranges of the Rocky Mountains can be enjoyed from innumerable vantage points in Denver, and the vista sweeps from Pikes Peak, 75 miles southward, to Longs Peak, 65 miles northwest of the city. The population in the city was 468,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau 1990 Census; and increased to 555,000 according to the 2000 Census. Denver derived its name from James W. Denver, the Territorial Governor of Kansas at the time of the city's origin. In November 1858, a party of land claim "jumpers" appropriated the town site of St. Charles, located on the east bank of Cherry Creek, and established a new settlement named by them "Denver City." In April 1861, Denver City and its rival town, Auraria, consolidated under the name "Denver." When Congress authorized Colorado's entry into the Union on August 1, 1876, Denver was made the State Capital (Reference 1). Denver is bordered by the incorporated Cities of Lakewood, Aurora, Wheat Ridge, Sheridan, Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, Littleton, Edgewater, Commerce City, Glendale, and Greenwood Village, and the incorporated Towns of Bow Mar, Lakeside, and Mountain View. Denver is also bordered by unincorporated areas of Adams, Jefferson, and Arapahoe Counties. Denver has elevations ranging from nearly 5,200 feet to approximately 5,500 feet. With its location in the mid-latitudes in the interior of the North American continent, Denver experiences large temperature changes from summer to winter and rapid changes in weather due to storms traveling from west to east through the region. The mountains to the west effectively block atmospheric moisture originating in the Pacific Ocean and leave the area dependent on moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, which is not consistently brought to the region. Consequently, the region is dry with' low amounts of precipitation that are quite variable through the year. Small amounts of water in the air are accompanied by a large percentage of sunshine and sizable temperature changes from day to night. 6