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<br />MEMOR~NDUM <br /> <br />COLORADO WATER CONSERV A nON BOARD <br />DARIES C. LILE <br />DIRECTOR <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />June 19, 1997 <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />File <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />Tom Browning ~ <br /> <br />RE: <br /> <br />Phillips CountylHolyoke flood of June 15, 1997 <br /> <br />On June 17 and 18, 1997 I performed field investigations in Phillips County in tfue vicinity of <br />Holyoke, Colorado. A major rainstorm occurred late June 14 and early June 15 thich caused <br />flooding in the Frenchman Creek basin on the morning of June 15. As part of theJfield work, I <br />conducted rainfall bucket surveys, estimated peak streamflows for various streams \!Ising indirect <br />flow measurements, delineated the approximate floodplain limits within Holyoke, and obtained <br />photographs. Following is a summary of findings: <br /> <br />STORM DESCRIPTION <br />· Storm developed on the evening of June 14 and generally moved from west to east. <br />I <br />· Rainfall began in Phillips County west of Holyoke around 9:45 pm on June 14 and ended <br />around 12:30 or 1:00 am on June 15. <br />· Most of the rain fell in less than 2 hours in the beginning part of the storm <br />· Very little hail was produced by this storm. Small pockets of hail were reported to the south <br />and west of Holyoke. <br /> <br />RAINFALL ESTIMATES <br />Rainfall estimates were obtained through bucket surveys, interviews with local officials and <br />residents, and field observations. Rainfall estimates are shown (in inches) on the attached map. <br />These amounts are for the storm total (about 3 hours). <br /> <br />FLOOD DAMAGES <br />Phillips County, the Town of Holyoke, The American Red Cross, and the Colorado OEM have <br />performed damage surveys and have reported the following flood damages (to date) within <br />Phillips County, Holyoke, and Amherst: <br />. 31 homes (7 are uninhabitable) <br />. 3 businesses <br />. 3 County road bridges <br />· At least 15-20 major washouts on County Roads (including low water crossings, culverts, <br />etc.) <br />· Nearly 100 minor washouts on County Roads <br />· Severe damage to railroad line along Hwy 23 <br />· Damage to the airport runway and washout of the culverts at the end of the runway <br />· Substantial damage to crops and fields <br />· Major debris accumulations <br /> <br />