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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />Community Description <br /> <br />The Town of Otis is loeated in northeastern Colorado in the Eastern Plains region of the state. Otis <br />is in the eastern portion of Washington County, east of Akron, the eounty seat. It is approximately <br />halfway between Akron and Yuma, whieh is in western Yuma County. Otis is approximately 120 <br />miles northeast of Denver, approximately 30 miles east of Brush, and approximately 35 miles <br />south-southeast of Sterling. U.S. Highway 34 is the major east-west highway that serves the town. <br />The estimated population of Otis is 494 people, and the estimated total population of Washington <br />County is 5243 people (1999 estimates from the Colorado Department of Loeal Affairs). The area <br />studied for the revised FIRM is the unineorporated area ofthe Town of Otis as of Mareh 1999. <br /> <br />Watershed Description <br /> <br />Otis is in the Republiean River watershed, as is the majority of Washington County. A small <br />portion of Washington County is in the South Platte River watershed. The major streams within <br />Otis are the Southwest Drainage and the Northern Drainage. The Southwest Drainage basin is <br />aetually a part of the Brunker Creek basin, and the Northern Drainage basin is tributary to Brunker <br />Creek. Upstream of Otis, Brunker Creek flows into a dry lake ealled Brunker Lake. Brunker Lake <br />is large enough that it would take a flood substantially larger than a 100-year flood to fill it and <br />eause an overflow. The portion of the Brunker Creek basin downstream of Brunker Lake makes up <br />the Southwest Drainage basin. Both the overflows from Brunker Lake (when they oeeur) and flood <br />flows from the majority of the Southwest Drainage flow into Haverland Pond, another dry lake <br />approximately Y. mile upstream of Otis. Those overflows would eontinue to the northeast, into the <br />south side of Otis. Flows from the remainder of the Southwest Drainage watershed join the <br />Haverland Pond overflows and flow into the south side of Otis. <br /> <br />A 100-year flood would not fill Brunker Lake. For that reason, I DO-year flooding in the southern <br />part of Otis would be eaused by flows from the portion of the Southwest Drainage basin tributary to <br />Haverland Pond (17 square miles) and the portion of the Southwest Drainage that is downstream of <br />Haverland Pond (1.4 square miles). Those flows eontinue northeasterly to the Burlington Northern <br />Railroad. After erossing under the railroad through two eulverts, the Southwest Drainage eontinues <br />northeasterly under Highway 34 and then out oftown toward the town's sewage treatment pond. A <br />little downstream of the sewage treatment pond, the Northern Drainage joins the Southwest <br />Drainage. <br /> <br />The eombined drainage, whieh is still Brunker Creek, flows northeasterly toward Surveyor Creek, <br />whieh is north of Otis several miles in northeastern Washington County. Surveyor Creek flows <br />toward the northeast, into Yuma County. Then it joins Roek Creek in northwestern Yuma County. <br />It terminates in the north-central portion of Yuma County without aetually joining the Republiean <br />River or any major tributary to it. <br /> <br />2 <br />