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. . . The Colorado State Penitentiary is also a maj or tourist attraction, located in Canon City, 11 miles to the west. PREVIOUS STUDIES This section discusses investigations performed previously for watersheds in the Florence area. The adopted hydrologic parameters used in the current Florence watershed models are described in subsequent sections of this report. 1) Comprehensive Drainage and Flood Study for Florence, Colorado, prepared by Nelson, Haley, Patterson & Quirk, Inc., and prepared for the Board of Commissioners of the Florence Urban Renewal Authority, acting as agent of the city of Florence, Colorado, February 1977. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential impact of major and minor storms on Florence from both the creeks that flow through the city and from the interior drainage patterns in the city. This study identified potential flooding hazards for storms and proposed a construction program for alleviating the most serious flooding. An ongoing drainage maintenance program was also proposed for Florence and its adjacent areas. The peak discharge rates for Coal and Oak Creeks were determined using the method outlined in Technical Manual 1 - Manual for Estimating Flood Characteristics of Natural Flow Streams in Colorado, Colorado Water Conservation Board, 1976. The procedure uses the Log Pearson Type III method for fitting a frequency curve to stream gaging station data and multiple regression techniques for transferring the results to areas without gaging stations. The hydrologic results for Coal Creek are presented in Table 1 and the results for Oak Creek are presented in Table 2. 2) Arkansas River Basin, Florence, Colorado, Design Memorandum No.1, Hydrology Part 1, prepared by the Albuquerque District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, April 1978. This design memorandum presented basic hydrologic data for use in developing the project plan for flood control dams on Coal and Oak Creeks and a diversion dam on Chandler Creek above the city of Florence, Colorado. The hydrologic data was also used for the development of a project plan for levees on the Arkansas River near the city of Florence. Due to the lack of stream gage information, peak discharge-frequency curves for Oak, Coal, and Chandler Creeks were computed by synthetic hydrographs. The design memorandum provided discharge-frequency curves, profiles, and flood plains for the Arkansas River, Oak Creek, Coal Creek, and Chandler Creek. The project plan was not feasible due to unsuitable subsurface conditions caused by previous mining activity. Table 1 summarizes the published peak discharges for Coal Creek and Table 2 summarizes the published peak discharges for Oak Creek. 3) Flood Insurance Study, City of Florence, Fremont County, prepared by Camp Dresser and McKee, Inc., and prepared for the Federal Insurance Administration, June 1984. The results of the Flood Insurance Study (PIS) were used to convert the city into the regular phase of the National Flood Insurance Program. Local and regional planners in their efforts to promote sound land use and flood plain development also benefited from the FIS information. 2