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<br />. <br /> <br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />Communitv Description <br />The town of Ovid is located in extreme northeast Colorado, within Sedgwick County, just a few <br />miles south of the Colorado,Nebraska state line. Julesburg is the County Seat of Sedgwick County <br />and sits about 7 miles to the northeast of Ovid. The estimated population for the Town of Ovid is <br />341, and the estimated population for the entire county is 2,679 (J 998 estimates from the Colorado <br />Department of Local Affairs). Highway 138 is the major east-west highway that directly serves the <br />community, however Interstate 76 is the major transportation corridor for this region. The town of <br />Ovid is an agriculturally based community in the South Platte River valley with an approximate <br />elevation of 3,530 feet MSL The area studied for the FHBM is the incorporated area of the Town <br />of Ovid as of November 21,1978. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Watershed Description <br />The two main flooding sources for Ovid include the South Platte River and Lodgepole Creek. The <br />South Platte River watershed has its headwaters in Park County, Colorado at elevations in excess of <br />14,000 feet along the Continental Divide. The South Platte mainstem eventually flows through <br />Denver from south to north, and from there it heads to the northeast through Adams, Weld, <br />Morgan, Washington and Logan counties, and finally Sedgwick county in the northeast comer of <br />the state. The South Platte River drains approximately 23,000 square miles of watershed area at the <br />Julesburg gage. Lodgepole Creek has its headwaters in southeast Wyoming at much lower <br />elevations. The creek heads east through Wyoming and Nebraska, and then turns south into <br />Colorado where it flows through Ovid and empties into the South Platte River. Lodgepole Creek <br />drains an area in excess of 3,500 square miles at its mouth. <br /> <br />Floodinl! Problems and Floodinl! History <br />Flooding along the South Platte River in Sedgwick County normally occurs from March through <br />September with the most frequent flooding in the month of June. Floodwaters can result from <br />intense localized thunderstorms or general rains, either of which may be augmented by snowmelt <br />runoff. <br /> <br />Several floods have been documented on the South Platte River in northeastern Colorado. The <br />most notable flood years are 1921, 1935, 1965, 1973, and 1995. Many other floods have occurred <br />along the South Platte as welL The flood of 1965 produced the highest peak discharge of record <br />(37,600 cfs) at the Julesburg gage. Tributary flow was significant from Plum Creek, Cherry Creek, <br />Sand Creek, and Toll Gate Creek (Denver region) and from Bijou Creek, Commanche Creek, <br />Badger Creek and Beaver Creek (eastern plains region). Flooding was experienced as far upstream <br />as Castle Rock (plum Creek) and as far downstream as North Platte, Nebraska (South Platte River). <br />Significant flood also occurred along the South Platte River in May 1973 due to significant <br />snowmelt runoff combined with heavy rains. <br /> <br />Flooding history on Lodgepole Creek in Colorado is very limited. Larger floods have occurred on <br />the Creek in Wyoming and extreme western Nebraska. Bankfull flows have been witnessed in <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />2 <br />