FLOOD00589

• County: Denver
• Community: Denver
• Stream Name: South Platte
• Title: Costs to Denver of 1965 Flood Recurrence
• Date: 9/14/1977
• Prepared For: CWCB
• Prepared By: G. Ahmad
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

extensive damage would have resulted. Because there was only limited

rainfall below the dams, only minor damage occurred.

Channel improvements had also been carried out by the city along the

South Platte, to carry off floodflows at the rate of 10,000 cubic feet per

second, but, due to lack of maintenance, the rate was reduced to only

4,700 cubic feet per second. While such channel improvements were not

totally effective, some floodflow was alleviated.

The law at the time did not provide reimbursement of damages sustained

by an individual, nor provide insurance to indemnify flood losses.

These mitigative measures later became public policy because of recurrent

nationwide flood losses.

Losses Due To Flooding

Losses due to the 1965 event have been assessed by the Corps of

Engineers in their post 1965 flood report. The figure was obtained through

actual field survey of private and public damage. Businesses and private

homes were affected and public facilities including many bridges were

destroyed. The breakaown of the losses is given in Figure 6.

Figure 6
DAMAGE IN METRO DENVER AREA 1965 FLOODS IN MILLIONS
Figures Shown In 1965 & 1977 Figures

Residential Commercial utilities Public Misc. Rural Transp. TOTAL
Facilities Bridge &
Highway
1965 $ 9.94 163.98 4.67 3.13 3.20 2.19 135.27 322,2
1977 $ 18.30 301. 9 8.5 5.7 5.8 4.0 249.0 592.59

The ratio of residential and commercial damage to Eotal damage is 1:1.85.

Losses in the Denver metro area were along Plum Creek, Toll Creek, and the

Platte River. Total losses amounted to $321,840,000 (1965 dollars).

.

This loss figure for 1965 has been computed to 1977 dollars using the

Denver Metro Area Consumer Index, with 1967 as the base year. The average

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