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<br />flooding lowland areas, The peak discharge throu(lh town was limited to 1,000 cubic feet per second
<br />by operation of the Englewood Dam 9 miles upstmam, Floodwaters inundated South University
<br />Boulevard and Bellevue Road, Debris blocked the bridges forcing the water over the roads, The
<br />brid(le at Girard Avenue and Bannock Street - since replaced by a conduit had damage to its
<br />approaches, A small golf course near Santa Fe Drive had an estimated damage 01 $3,000, Flood
<br />damages were caused in Englewood by sidelli11 runoff as well as overflows of Li'tlle Dry Creek,
<br />Damages, including those incurred by sidehill runoff, were greater than $30,000, Although the dollar
<br />damage of this flood can be considered minor, it is apparent that a flood threat still exists along Little
<br />Dry Creek even with Englewood Dam,
<br />
<br />4,1.4 BEAR CREEK
<br />
<br />Flood History, Flooding on Bear Creek is typical of mountainous areas, with flash floods resulting
<br />from intense rainfall over small areas, The source of a large percentage of floods occurring on Mount
<br />Vernon and Bear Creeks at Morrison, Colorado, are storms in the Genesee Mountain area, These
<br />floods are generally characterized by rapid concentration of runoff, unusually high peak discharges,
<br />and almost equally rapid recession time, Since 1876, 2;~ floods have been recorded in the Bear Creek
<br />basin ranging from relatively minor to major floods causin(l considerable property damage and
<br />frequent loss of life, Records indicate a total of 45 lives have been lost from floods in the basin,
<br />
<br />Flood of 23 May 1876, One of the earliest reports of flooding on Bear Creek concerns a storm on
<br />21 through 23 May 1876 which was reported by the Denver Tribune of 5 June of that year, informs us
<br />that he has never seen such destruction in the region as resulted from the late storm, He spent some
<br />days in the valleys of Soda and Bear Creeks and their tributaries and found new gullies worn to the
<br />depth of 20 feet in the action of the raging torrents,"
<br />
<br />Flood of 29 Mav - 1 June 1894, A widespread storm on 29 May through I June 1894, in the vicinity
<br />of Morrison, produced a flood that caused the loss of bridges, railroad tracks, houses, and destroyed
<br />the highway in the canyon,
<br />
<br />Flood of 24 July 1896. Intense rainfall on 24 July 1896 centered on Cub Creek, a tributary of Bear
<br />Creek near Evergreen, The following account was taken from the Rocky Mountain News of 25 July
<br />1896 and reprinted in the United States Geolo!Jical Survey Water Supply Paper No, 997 entitled
<br />"Floods in Colorado," "Without a moment's warnin[1 the largest flood that ever came down Bear Creek
<br />struck Morrison about 8 o'clock tonight (July 24), sweeping everything in its path ... although the water
<br />came down through the town nearly 3 feet deep in the main street, the buildings in the business section
<br />all withstood it," Twenty-seven lives were lost in the flood (available records do not indicate where the
<br />deaths occurred) and severe damages were repolied from Evergreen to the mouth of Bear Creek.
<br />No rainfall records of this flood are available, The peak flow on Bear Creek at the Morrison gaging
<br />station was 8,600 cfs which is the flood of record, The most recent hydrologic studies indicate that this
<br />flood would have a 1-In-40 chance of occurring in any year, It is not known to what extent Mount
<br />Vernon Creek contributed to the Morrison flooding,
<br />
<br />Flood of 7-8 Julv 1933, "Five persons known dead ,.. property damage of unestimated degree and
<br />
<br />Colorado Flood
<br />Hydrology Manual
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<br />4.S
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<br />DRAFT
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