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<br />2.2 Community Description <br /> <br />The Town of Larkspur is located in south-central Douglas County, <br />which is located slightly northeast of the geographic center of <br />ColoradO, immediately south of the City of Denver and Denver County. <br />The 1980 population of Larkspur was 141 (Reference 3). <br /> <br />East Plum Creek at Larkspur has a drainage area of approximately <br />63.2 square miles and meanders to the north through Douglas ~unty <br />before joining Plum Creek at Sedalia. Larkspur is an urban area, <br />with residential development to the north and farmland to the south. <br /> <br />Carpenter Creek drains approximately 22.8 square miles of farmland. <br />The creek flows northeasterly through Greenland and joins East <br />Plum Creek at Larkspur. <br /> <br />Larkspur has the inland continental climate typical of the plains <br />area, modified by the Rocky Mountains immediately to the west and <br />the Palmer Lake Divide to the south. Precipitation is light, with <br />an annual average of 15 to 18 inches. Annual totals vary substan- <br />tially because a large part of each total is from summer thunder- <br />storms. Temperatures in the area range from a high of slightly <br />more than 1000F to lows of approximately -350F. The mean annual <br />temperature is 47oF, and the mean summer temperature is 66oF. <br /> <br />The Larkspur area is gently sloping to steep, with sandy soils on <br />the uplands and loamy soils on the tablelands. Vegetation on the <br />uplands is mainly tall and mid-size grasses, with Gambel oak and <br />ponderosa pine trees. The tablelands vegetation consists of <br />western wheatgrass, junigrass, mountainmahagony, and Gambel oak <br />(Reference 2). <br /> <br />2.3 Principal Flood Problems <br /> <br />Larkspur is located in an area that is prone to receiving very <br />intense rainfall, sometimes as cloudbursts. FlOOds have resulted <br />from storms covering large areas with heavy general rainfall as <br />well as from storms covering small areas with intense rainfall. <br />Floods generally occur from May through August. The upland areas <br />are characterized by dissected topographic relief and steep stream <br />slopes. Floods are characterized by rapid rises, high maximum <br />discharges, short durations, and comparatively low volumes of <br />total runoff. <br /> <br />The roadways that cross streams and obstruct floodflows are the <br />most significant factor affecting flooding in the area. Other <br />nonnatural objects, such as buildings, cars, and fences, as well <br />as the natural vegetation of the flood plains, also obstruct flow. <br /> <br />4 <br />