BOARD02386

• Board Meeting Date: 3/8/1972
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

I think the members of the board have just
received this information. and Larry. who is
going to present this?"

MR. SPARKS:

"It will be the Corps of Engineers.
Mr. Burnett. the chief engineer. is here and
Mr. Velehardsky.

I

The board will recall that the Bijou
Creek matter has been jockeyed back and forth
for a number of years now. In 1946 when the
Narrows project was first authorized it was
contemplated that Bijou Creek would be diverted
into the Narrows Reservoir. This would cause
channel restructuring at the lower end of the
creek. along the course of the old channel.
At the present time. Bijou Creek enters the
South Platte just below the proposed Narrows
Reservoir.

The people on Bijou Creek objected to this
plan because it would offer no protection up-
stream. In 1965. we had the worst recorded
flood in history on Bijou Creek. Not only the
worst recorded flood in history on Bijou Creek.
but in volume of water it was the greatest
volume of water that we have ever been able to
measure in the state of Colorado. The flood
discharge approximated somewhere around 500.000
second feet. And as far as we know from any
historic records. no stream in Colorado has ever
reached such a flow. Tremendous damages were
inflicted as a result.

The Corps. based upon the new facts.
worked out a plan to control Bijou Creek up-
stream. A series of three dams was proposed.
However. after the original Corps' plan had
been presented to this board following the '65 I.
floods. the interest rate in computing projects
was revised upward. It was in excess of one
percent. perhaps more in the neighborhood of two
percent. that the discount rate was revised up-
ward. The Corps was directed from the Washington
office to prepare a new feasibility report on

-2-