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<br />4.1.12 BIG AND LITTlE THOMPSON RIVER BASIN <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />Flood HistolV. Little inlormation is available relative to historic Ilooding on the Little <br />Thompson River probably because 01 its /Ural nature which has resutted in little Ilood <br />damage during flood events. Some flood accounts are however, available on the Big <br />Thompson River. Past records of floods in the Loveland area show that overbank Ilows <br />can lastlrom "a lew hours" to mare than 12 hours. The lollowing accounts olllooding on <br />the Big Thompson River are representative 01 typical Iloods lor which information is <br />available. <br /> <br />J <br /> <br />Flood 0131 Mav-1 June 1984. During widespread Iloods 01 May and June 1864, the <br />lowlands 01 the Big Thompson River valley were flooded, settlers' cabins were washed <br />away, and larmlands damaged. According to The Loveland Reporter 017 June 1894, the <br />Ilood 01 31 May - 1 June 01 that year destroyed a dam near the canyon northwest 01 <br />Loveland and the river was "fully haH a mile wide". <br /> <br />Flood 017 Julv 1906. On 7 July 1906, a discharge 016,000 cubic leet per second (cis) <br />was recorded at the Drake station. A bridge near Drake was washed out. The Ilood peak <br />lasted only a "Iew hours". <br /> <br />Flood 01 31 Julv 1919. The Loveland Daily Herald 011 August 1919 described a <br />cloudburst upstream 01 Drake on 31 July "a 10-loot wall 01 water swept down through the <br />canyon." There was no mention 01 damage in the plains area. <br /> <br />Flood 01 June 1921. General rains from 2 through 7 June measured a total of 5.29 <br />inches at Longmant and 3.02 inches at Fort Collins. Apparently, the mountain regions <br />received less, as Estes Park reported 2.45 inches for the 6-day period wtth 1.2 inches <br />received on 4 June. High water destroyed the recorder at the Drake Station so the time <br />and rate of the peak flow was not recorded. The Big Thompson River overflowed tts bank <br />and The Lyons Recorder 01 9 June of that year related "at a point near the river about haH <br />a mile from Loveland, a house, wtth tts occupants, was washBd from tts foundation and <br />carried nearly haH a mile downstream. . ." <br /> <br />Flood of June 1923. Rains in the Big Thompson basin during 7 through 10 June <br />resutted in a total of 2.49 inches at Estes Park, 2.99 inches at Long's Peak, and 2.80 <br />inches at Waterdalec The heaviest rain came on 9 June at these stations wtth 1.45, 2.55, <br />and 1.97 inches, respectively. Flows past Drake 01 3,590 cis was recorded at 6:00 p.m. <br />on 9 June and again at 6:00 a.m. on 10 June. Probably greater flows occurred between <br />those hours. According to the Loveland Reporter-Herald of 9 June 1923: "At four o'clock <br />(today) floodwaters from the Big Thompson ... had reached West First Street in the ctty ... <br />the cement paving south of Loveland is covered wtth water to a depth 01 over a foot. The <br />Estes Park road and the valley near the plaster mills are covered." <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Flood of September 1938. On 2 September alter heavy cloudbursts, the Big <br />Thompson River valley was again flooded. The highway in the canyon was damaged and <br />closed lor repairs. Many bridges were destroyed and some homes were damaged. On <br />11 and 12 September, heavy rains again caused serious flash flooding in the canyon and <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Colorado Flood <br />Hydrology Manual <br /> <br />4.17 <br /> <br />a:w=r <br />