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, Colorado River floodflows in the Grand Junction area have inundated streets, l~wns, and gardens; deposited sand, silt, and debris; and flooded babements and lower floors in residential areas in the Riverside ~ark, Rosevale, and Connecticut Lakes sections southwest of the city. : The Riverside Park area has experienced repeated flood danger as the erosion and undermining of protective levees necessitated extensive flood fighting and levee repair. Several streets in that area as we~ll as Rosevale Road west of the river have been flooded and traffic ha:s been disrupted. On farmland and ranches south and south- west of th~ city, growing crops have been lost and irrigation faci- lities ha~e been seriously damaged. Between Grand Junction and the northern county boundary near De Beque, Colorado River overflo~l has inundated ~anches and farmland; isolated people and cattle; damaged or destroy~ed irrigation facilities; damaged orchards by uprooting I trees, eroding soil, and depositing debris; and inundated roads and disrupted Itraffic. b , Gunnison ~iver floods have caused damage mainly in the reach just above the ~outh, where ranches and farms have been inundated, build- ings and datt1e have been isolated, and people have been stranded for varying pe'riods of time. The abutments of the bridge south of Grand Junction Jnd a portion of the south bank upstream from the bridge have been Iseriously eroded. ! The Dolor~s River flooding has isolated people and livestock, damaged or destro~ed growing crops, and damaged crop and pasture1and with deposits 9f silt and debris. Flood fighting has been required to prevent t~affic disruption. Flooding is known to have occurred on many of tHe lesser streams in the county, but data on contributing precipitatiion, peak flows, and flood damage are not available. I Historica] and descriptive data on floods and flooding in Mesa County we~e based on Flood Plain Information and Flood Hazard Informa- tion reporits prepared by the u.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1973 and 1976 (RefJrences 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). Expected levels of flooding on the co10r~do River, Leach Creek, and West Creek are shown in Figures 2, 3, and 14, respectively. 1 2.4 Flood pro~ection Measures I ! Levees along the south bank of the Colorado River downstream from the mouth of ~he Gunnison River were constructed by local interests to protect r~sidents in the Connecticut Lakes area. Low dikes were also constructed along the north bank of the Colorado River upstre~n from I the Grand IAvenue bridge to provide protection to residents of the Riverside iPark area. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission constructed a levee a]ong the east bank of the Gunnison River during the 1957 , flood to Rrotect its installation near Grand Junction. A floodwater- retarding !structure was constructed by the U.S. Soil Conservation I Service on Indian Wash, approximately 3 miles north of Grand Junction. It afford~ protection to the eastern half of the city against flood- flows expected to occur once every 100 years. 11 ................ l --1IIIlIlII