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<br />CHAPTER 4. fLOODL'\G PROBLEMS ~'\D CHARACTERISTICS <br /> <br />1965,1967, and 1969. A summary of the historic flooding isdiscus,cd in the following <br />paragraphs. There is no official gaging station in the basin, and there are nor.:cords of <br />measuredtlood flows, <br /> <br />DRY CREEK <br />Lillie or no infotmation is available on the flood history along Dry Creek in Ihe Fort <br />Collins area. The 1980 Dry Creek dtainageway plan reports Ihat "Flooding did occur <br />in the Dry Creek basin in 1924, with flows scveral feet deep at the present location of <br />lax Surplus. However, it is unclear as 10 whether this was actually due to overflows <br />from the Poudre River." The network of irrigation canals that cross the Dry Creck flood <br />plain has some capacity for intercepting Dry Creek flows and, toa large degree, is the <br />rellson why Dry Creek had not in the past experienced much flooding from the more <br />frequcnl floodevcnts. <br /> <br />The flood of20 and 21 May 1904 resulted from a cloudburst in the foothills near the <br />headwaters of the North Fork of the Cache La Poudre River and Boxelder Creek. Fort <br />Collins sustained heavy damages; however, no information on the monetary losses is <br />available. A newspaper account in the Greelev Tribune .tated, "The Boxeldcr, a small <br />stream ordinarily only a few feet wide, was tearing down throl.lgh a fertile valley fllled <br />from bluff to bluff with a sheet of water a mile wide, earrying buildings and bridges <br /> <br />FLOOD HISTORY <br /> <br />away.,. ." <br /> <br />Information on the flood events between 1909 and 1947 is not availab1c. Information <br />on flood events experienced during the 1960's was obtained in 1969 from landowners in <br />the flood plain. A summary of these floods, including estillT.ltoo magnilU{Jt: and damages <br />as contained in the 1981 drainagewayplan, follow,; <br /> <br />Theimpactofurbandcvelopmentinthelowerba.inhasalreadyinerea:;ed the lI\agni- <br />tude and frequency or floou flows. The irrigation canals ~.ave limited capacity to inler- <br />ceptthese increased flows, This poses a serious inereaoed potential for flooding in Fort <br />Collins, especially below L.1rimcr and Weld Canal. The irrigation canal companies arc <br />eoncemcd about thcir potential liability if a flood event should occur and their canal <br />would fail. <br /> <br />. ! !\U;;USI 1961. One 50- to lOO-year-frequency ,torm neat Wellington. Colorado. <br />Forty basements were flooded in addition to agricultural and nonagricultural crops and <br />property, with damages estimated at $76,000; <br /> <br />. JlIne 1963, One25_toSO_year_frequencystormovera.mallarea, with damages <br />eSlimated at $7,000; <br /> <br />.!illXELJ}F:R_CREEK <br />Floods from Boxelder Creek have resulted from cloudburst-type intense rainfalls in <br />the upper basin, The most severe flooding has occurred during the months of May <br />tl'I[(Illgh AtlgUS\. According to the drainagewa)' plan dat.:d Aug\lst 1981, flood. occurred <br />\n the Boxclder Creek basin in 1904. 1909. 19n, 1930, 1933, 1937, 1947, 1961. 1963. <br /> <br />. 14 to 17 June 1965. One 2-year-, two k.~ than 2-year-. and one 25-ycar. <br />freqnency storm Wilh some overlapping or areas, with damages cstimal.:d at $96,000: <br /> <br />4~ 1 <br /> <br />4~2 <br />