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28 FLOODS IN COLORADO MAJOR FLOOD8-SQUTH PLATTE RIVER 29 Dai~y di'Marge, in second-feet, oj South Platte Riller, during flood of JutuJ 19S1 1 Data from reports of Colorado State Engineer. t Peak dlscbarp. 6,320 seoond-leet. The second largest recorded flood on the South Platte River occurred early in June 1935. This was due to rains of cloudburst intensity, May 30-31, on the headwaters of the plains tributaries to the South Platte, fo\1owing the wcttest May in the 48-year climatic record in Colorado. The chief sources of the flood were Kiowa and Bijou Creeks, which enter the South Platte River below the Sublette gaging station. The mountain tributaries from the west were not in flood.. Kiowa Creek enters the South Platte River 18 miles above Fort Morgan and Bijou Creek enters 3)6 miles above. Further than the f<let that a severe flood occurred on Kiowa Creek, little is known con- cerning its flow. On Bijou Creek, however, a rise occurred about 11 :30 p. m., May 30, and about 3 :30 a. m., May 31, and according to J. M. Dille, managcr of the Bijou Irrigation Co., a veritable "wa\1 of watcr" appeared at a point 4 miles above the mouth. This crest lastcd for 20 minutes and then dropped rapidly, according to a rancher' living on the stream, who timed it. The crest reached Fort Morgan about 5:30 a. m., May 31,. and was about 10 feet above normal stage; by 7 a. m. it had rcccded about half a foot and continued to recede rapidly; and on the morning of June 2 the stage was agn.in normal. Somc days latcr, L. T. Burgess, chief hydrogrnphcr of the State of Colorado, made a slope-area measurement of the peak flow a mile above Fort Morgan and found it to be 84,300 sccond,fcet. As the Bijou Creek flood debouched into the channel of the South Platte River, the waters flowed upstream, downstream, and across the low- lands, and thus the peak was materially reduced. Owing to the short timc that thc South Platte River was at peak stage at Fort Morgan, the mCl1n discharge for the maximum 24-hour period was much less tl,"n 84,300 second-feet, but no rel1l estimate of this mean can be made, The flood reached 11 higher stage nel1r Fort Morgan than at any other point on the river, as little or no additional flow entered the South Platte River below Bijou Creek, and channel storage reduced the peak flow as it progressed toward the Colorado-Nebraska State linc. Near Sterling, little or no overflow occurred, but near Crook, 25 miles downstream, a break occurred in the Union Pacific Railroad grade which a\1owed the river to form a lake half a mile wide north of the highway." The fo\1owing table shows the daily discharge at gaging stations of the South Platte River. The short duration of the flood period shows the cloudburst character of the storm that caused it. SoutbPIati;e Denver I Kersey I Balzac 1 J'Ulesbul'll (dramage (drainage (drainage (drainage (drainage lone "'.. .,... .......... area9,lIOO &rea 17,700 area 20,600 ...... ..""'" ....'" ..""'. ...'" miles) ."""') mUoo) miles) miles) -- l__________...._________d___.___......___ "... 1,270 808 3ll llO 2._.____n__________._.____________________ I,,,", 1,320 83. 630 103 a__________ ______.uo___n.._._..____._____ 1,410 1,460 912 1,030 I.' t. _________u.___u..~_~________.._________ 2,340 4,010 I,'" "... 127 6_ _ ..._.~_.__~___... ...__ ________~_.___.... ..... ..... I~'" 1,760 273 6..__.~~__h_U__..._.____________hn._n_ <,1l6O 7,010 18,300 ','" Il38 7 ._____________~u__.._.__. .n~~~___h._.__ ..... 8,'" 31,000 12,000 1,130 8_ ~___h____n__~~~~____._._. .______~.~.u. 16,070 8,500 .~... 17,100 2,.00 9. ._~.__u_____.__.___~_~__________.____n_ ..3llO 8.... 30, ... 18,300 I..... 10.. _n_n~n__n___.____n_n~~__~__un._ 4,920 7,350 29,000 30,400 '''''' 11___ ._.n__n.~~_.__~__ .__._.__~_~~__~~.__ <,1l6O 6,,",, 28,'" 31,200 22,300 12. ~ _ u__ __n._. un ~___ _ ~ __ _n ___ _. _..__ __ .,470 ',800 23,300 27, ... ,",,800 13. _.u_~~~~_~__u.n.____n~_~__~_______.. <,'" 6,140 19,900 25,600 24,200 14. ___.._.u._~.___~_._._n._.__n___~~u_. .,180 <,800 19,000 23,800 ,",,700 15. ___~u_u._..._n.___~__~u_.n_._______ <,200 4,720 13,'" 20,1100 30, 200 16_ .__~____u.n.._..u__~_____u.n_.__n~ <,03Q 4,840 13,'" 21,800 30,800 17 ___ __n_.__________u...__.._.~_~_____u. 3,760 4,760 Ui,4oo 21,600 22,000 18_._ .._nu....________~~h___u__nn___~ 3,140 <,... I..... 20,300 1.(,400 19. .___.n____~~u. .___.________~___.__n.. 2,800 3,150 11,000 19,100 14,900 2(L ~.u_..._____._~~~~__uu_____ ..n_n~~_ 2,<71> 2,800 ..000 14,600 13,600 21. ________u._u_._____n~_~_~uu_n..._. 2,260 2,'" .,... 12,600 10,000 22. __.u__._.________~__n__..__n~_~____._ 2,070 2,180 ..... 10,000 10,300 ZL ___._____._n~.________.__.___~.n__~_~_ "... I,'" '.'" 7,'" 3,'80 2.(. __ ____~_._____._n.n~___~~_u_n__n__~ 1,800 1,140 3,240 .,... 6,470 2lL. .____.n____~~__.n._...n.__n__u_n. 1,840 1,640 2,800 3,1140 ,,03<1 26. ..__n____~h.._n_._._.._._._.~~~_~hn 1,880 1,440 2,500 2,700 4,350 27_ _. .._.____..__~~___h.______. ._____~__~. 1,670 1,MO 2,880 2.176 3,780 28. _ ._.~.___....n_.__~____~._._.._._._n.~ l,.tlO 1,2l'iO ',860 2.000 3,240 2lI..__~_~_______n.._________~______.__.__. 1,400 1,030 1,460 2,000 2,700 8O___._n__n_________..~__.___.~__~__._._. 1,400 781 1,130 I,... 2,.80 1988 The flood on the South Platte River in the vicinity of Denver with the highest recorded diseharge at that point occurred during the night, September 9-10, 1933. It was caused by heavy rain on the divide separating Cherry Cre~Jr from P1UIll, Big Dry, and Little Dry Creeks, which enter the South Platte River between the mouth of the canyon and Denver. The flow of South Platte River at Denver increased from 410 second-feet at 8 p. m., September 9, to 22,000 second-feet at 1 :30 a. m., September 10, remained nearly steady until 3 a. m., then receded to 5,810 second-feet at noon. The average discharge for the 24-hour period ending at noon, September 10, was 6,700 second-feet. At Waterton, near the mouth of the canyon, the peak. discharge was 1,360 second-feet. At Henderson, about 12 miles below Denver, the peak discharge of 22,000 second-feet was reduced by channel storage to 5,600 second-feet. In an investigation of this flood the Office of the State Engineer made a slope-area dcter- mination of the peak flow in P1UIll Creek and found it to be 5,500 second-feet, Big Dry Creek and Little Dry Creek were the chief contributors to the South Platte flood, their combined total being estimated at 10,800 second-feet." 19 Slcl'1ing Advocnl.e, Slerling, Colo., June 3, J9311. ItBW'16SS. L. T.. Report on Oood of SepteD.1ber 9-10. 1933. In the South Platte Blver at Denver. .....___'-.......A... .