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<br />.-\8 may he'\,,,n from th\' t.abl(', thegreatl.8t
<br />r"inflood of record on the Anima.., River
<br />oeeurredin (Jctoll<,r 1911. A 8eWre flood also
<br />occurred on llermm", Creek ",t that time, hut
<br />noreeordorestimateofflowi8available,Theo<e
<br />fI(l()d~ "'''''llwd fr<lm ~ontin"oll' h""vy rain
<br />
<br />that totalled more than4inche8 in:ldaysatone
<br />statim\ in the upper walier8h,'d of the river,
<br />FIt.od conditions in Anima, Valley were
<br />de<crib.)d asfolluw, in the (\:toher 16, I,<Hl.
<br />,'dit;onofthe lJuranxo D...m(K;ral:
<br />
<br />/"
<br />
<br />..
<br />
<br />I...." h;~O' tb. ""1.., w" 'If'" ,,( "'""'"~ W""" ~imo,' r".m bill l<, ,litl. .'.d the' ~,'C"'",'
<br /><Iam"~e '"" ,",,,hen 0"0'"'''0,1 1""0. All h".\',~,("" ~"i" lid~, """ "Uw, '""I''' ~."', '.'a>i1,,j
<br />:IW^,I', Pi~', ,'h,,.k.n, "n~ "1i1", fowl wO!'(' o""i(',1 (!'.,"'o,,,,'.m ""d "'" ,u~!"'",d :0 """" be,,"
<br />d,'>>w.,ed. }I~"y of th<.. ,"",or."" o"d the,t' ~t'"in" ,,",i ,,1I"lf. .,i:l i" lI.. 1ii-1<I, ,,,,d ,h<'", ,""n'
<br />"""".d "W'Y_ It w", n" """"'al ,i~"t~, "" ,",,,ok,"f ~t'.in ,,,,d ~"mpkin' ""d ,qu","~"
<br />fhlt:nldown'h,'t'iv",~".j hcdol"'"i"~w",,,I''''''c"_lo(h,.;,.llo,.thew",,,w",;e,.i~I.thx\.t
<br />"'",,",,.,; ~lwoct'h",,", "f the Trimol, S;>rin", H",d, Llll;' ,Iot'(,," "'lOn,,,.,. of. ",ii,,~i<t>."t!,.<>",
<br />lI"h"(""IlI"".rb""k,lt"",,,,,,,,,,,j'h,,'in,,,,,vplac'''''"th~\'al1<)"lh<'l"'<T"adchM~',j
<br />i" ""0'''' ""J t'u,hro tbt'(>u"h the 0rd,,,t'<!c ,," , r,oml",,. of the. ,""{'h,~ i>wll\' ,hm,~~i"~
<br />thorn,
<br />
<br />The largest snowmelt flexxl of record on
<br />lIermosa Creek occurred inMay 1941 and the
<br />;;e~ond large8t in 1920. Uttle definitive data
<br />On these flClt>ds are ava;labk The 1920
<br />snowmelt flood on th<: Animas River. one of
<br />the smaller of record. w"" augmented hy 3
<br />days of heavy rain. As shown in the table.
<br />major rainfloods<Jceurred on wth the Animas
<br />River and H<:rmo,aCreek in Sept..mber 1927,
<br />~nd si!>:nif,eant sl\owm,'lt flo(l(h oecllrrt'd on
<br />wth 8tf('arn~ in 19<11,19'19,1%2, and 1957,
<br />Historical flo("j, in Anima, Valley have
<br />disrupted highway and railroad travel and
<br />romn1Unic~'tion 8<.'rvie.e8, and damag,'d or
<br />de;troy~d rood", br;djlY8, huild;nj(;and th<:ir
<br />"'Hlt<-nt~, and mi1r"".! andJ,,)w~rfacilitie..ln
<br />addition to all'ricultllrallo",e" illU"lratl'd
<br />abovt'. farmland" havp been "eriollsly eroded
<br />and dan"'~ed by dq"",ition of "and, sill, and
<br />rid)ri" and irrigation system, have n...en
<br />d~str()ycd,Overth<,year8, 8..wralpL'<Jplch:",..
<br />h,'en drowned and others cau~ht in flood-
<br />wat\,r, hav~ m.rrowly pf\Cap<"d detlth or
<br />s..riominjury,
<br />Ti'<l mo,t ren'nt ra;nflo,>di"K in Anima<
<br />Vallpy occurrKl in Spptpmb"r 1970, ::;">H'ral
<br />thousand a~n's were lflllntlatl'<i and iloodw:\ter
<br />in ,.;ome Iu<:a~.ion< e~4'nded from hillside to
<br />hill"id~ aoro,< tht' valley, The' flood r(,.ul4'd
<br />from h",wy rain th"t wtalled ahout 8 inch,"in
<br />" "in~l,' 2,I-hoLJr I"'r;od 1m ~pteml;<:r 5-0,
<br />Farmland_ :'''"un ar""" "..",'ralhotlll'll. and
<br />'1lJm~rn",.; \'O~iek" w~)'~ <pv~rely dama!>:,,(!. In
<br />p.lany loe'ati"n", fl,,,"lwat..rst,,,"llll r(."td~,'p_
<br />
<br />ri,.",..., ; -, f'."'o,"",..[ '",cte" ,,( le_" n"."..~,; H."'_,;
<br />
<br />f'](M)(llo."es. induding~mer!,:encyr.pairand
<br />restoration or flexxl damaj(~d facilities under
<br />cOntinllin.o; Federal authorities, "pproached
<br />$700,000, l'Pakdischar!':eon Hermosa Cr""k
<br />wa.-'notolltstand;ngandwa,le".,thanth~p"e.k
<br />flow ofse>'eral t'arlier floods.
<br />At the be~inninl'( of 191,1, snow ~over in th('
<br />Anima, River Ra.,in was mueh abo"e avera!>:e
<br />and the we.tercontent wa, 2,~O.3nO pt'rcentof
<br />normal. Al-.t>w-normal snowfall in Maroh
<br />further increased the 8nQwpack_ April was
<br />CoJld. the normal r"te of ,nowm.'lt retard<:d,
<br />and th,' ,nowpa(:k "tood at l~() per<~'nt of
<br />no,.,,,,,l at tho0ndoft.hatm,mth. W"rrnd,,,.-,, i1\
<br />Muyandearly.Jllnerapidlydeplekd"now in
<br />the 1",,,, and Ink,'nwdiau. e1..wtinns of th~
<br />i.a"in and lI:"nl'rat<:d wido"I>J'ewJ snowmelt
<br />floodin,r in Anima, Valley, Dut, to a 1<J~ jam,
<br />H"rm""a Cr,'ek overflowed it, hanb and cut a
<br />npwchannel thrOlwh prime p,,'tur\' land nil
<br />the ,'alley floor, and thre~wn"d ordamag('d
<br />st'v<.'ral dwdling', irrismtinn f""iliti"s. and
<br />ro,,,J,andbridges.lntotal.aoout4,nOOacre,
<br />on ,he "alley fl(~lT we,',' rloo,led and 10;"''''
<br />induded damai!"e to hay and pa.stllro bnd"
<br />irrigation facilitios, privately "wnt'lll",....,."
<br />n',i""I\Li"i,,,,,:,,,,wr,,",,,,,,If-'<'''fl''''lje,;,,,,,,lt,,
<br />utility l;nc'~, La Plata Co\trllY was dt'cl~n'd"
<br />di~Il:;V'r area. Fl(lO\idamal<t' in the ,'alley,,"",
<br />mnrpt),an.$4llO,ll\Jt),
<br />Th.."at"r""nd<'<tt'nt"fJllaj"rfl,~"ji,win
<br />A"i'l'~' Yallt.y "rt' indi"nk,i in Fi"u.','_' 1-".
<br />w~i~h ~lrt' ~n'il.al '~en,'~ of ,,,,-,ndah'd a,'p,,'
<br />d~win~ Ille f1,,~1 of S"pl<'TJ\h..,. 1~'ilJ_'
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