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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '. . i. I. .. . . . . i. . . . . . . . . . . STUDY AREA DESCRIPI'ION Community Description Pitkin County, Colorado is located in west-central portion of the state on the west side of the continental divide. It is bordered by Garfield and Eagle Counties to the north, Mesa County to the west, Gunnison County to the west and south and Chaffee and Lake Counties to the east. The eastern boundary of the county follows the continental divide, Pitkin County encompasses an area of 975 sq mi with elevations ranging from 6,625 at the northern end of the Roaring Fork Valley to 14,259 ft at the top of Castle Peak, Four additional "Fourteeners", or peaks over 14,000 ft, are located within the County boundaries and they consist of North Maroon, South Maroon, Pyramid and Capitol Peaks. All of these summits are located in the southern portion of Pitkin County along the Pitkin/Gunnison County line. The primary population centers in Pitkin County are the City of Aspen, the Town of Snowmass Village and the Town of Basalt, which is located partially within Eagle County to the north. Aspen is the county seat and was first settled by miners in 1879. Since the end of World War n, tourism, population and development have increased steadily in Pitkin County. Available historical population data for Pitkin County is summarized in Table 1. Table 1 - Pitkin County Population Data Year Population 1960 2,381 1980 10,338 1998 14,238 Watershed Descriptions The major stream system within Pitkin County is the Roaring Fork River which flows from south to north through the central portion of the County. The Roaring Fork is a tributary to the Colorado River which it joins at the Town of Glenwood Springs, Major tributaries to the Roaring Fork within Pitkin County include the Crystal River and the Fryingpan River, The September 30, 1988 PIS provides detailed flood hazard information for these three major streams anti additionally Brush Creek, Capitol Creek, Castle Creek, Coal Creek, East and West Sopris Creeks, Hunter Creek, Maroon Creek, Snowmass Creek and Woody Creek. F1oodinl! Problems and F100dinl! Histon Major flooding on larger streams in Pitkin County such as the Roaring Fork, Fryingpan and Crystal Rivers, generally occurs between late May and early July and is the result of snowmelt. Rainfall on spring snowpack may sometimes exacerbate the flooding, Summer cloudburst type storms with their limited duration and extent, generally cause flooding only on smaller streams. The largest discharge on record for the Roaring Fork River occurred in July of 1957 and had a peak discharge of approximately 19,000 cfs at the USGS Glenwood Springs gage. No urban 2