17 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

A. Location of Flood Hazards in Colorado Colorado has a long histOlY of tragic flooding events. As mentioned previously, flood prone areas have been identified in 268 cities and towns and in all of the 64 counties in Colorado. The earliest known floods are reported to have occurred in 1826 in the Arkansas River and Republican River basins. Between 20 and 30 large magnitude floods (in terms of peak discharge) occur somewhere in Colorado every year. The most notable flood events in Colorado from 1864 to 2006 are presented in Table 3. As indicated in the table, the greatest loss of life occurred during the Big Thompson flood event of 1976. The most damaging flood in Colorado occurred in June 1965 on the South Platte River when almost $2.6 billion in damages (2007 dollars) was sustained in the Denver metro area. Table 3. Notable Flood Events In Colorado: 1864-2006 Damages Year Location Deaths (2007 $ Millions) 1864 Chen)' Creek (Denver) 0 7 1896 Bear Creek (Morrison) 27 8 1911 San Juan River (by Pagosa Springs) 2 7 1912 Chen)' Creek (Denver) 2 156 1921 Arkansas River (Pueblo) 78 988 1935 Monument Creek (Co!. Springs) 18 68 1935 Kimva Creek near Kiowa 9 20 1942 South Platte River Basin '~ 10.8 1955 Purgatorie River (Trinidad) 2 47 1957 Western Colorado 0 23 1965 South Platte River (Denver) 8 2.600 1965 Arkansas River Basin 16 267 1969 South Platte River Basin 0 28 1970 Southwest Colorado 0 17 1973 South Platte River (Denver) 10 505 1976 Big Thompson River (Larimer) 144 110 1982 Fall River (Estes Park:) 3 64 1983 NOlih Central Counties 10 34 1984 West & Northwest Counties 2 61 1993 Western Slope 0 2.7 1995 Western Slope & South Platte 21 68 1997 FOli Collins & 13 East Counties 6 220 1999 Co!. Springs. 12 East Counties 0 130 2000-6 Statewide Various Events 5 III Totals 363 5.5 billion Source: Colorado Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan 2007 16