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STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION Community Description Leadville is located in the mountains of central Colorado, It is the county seat of Lake County and is located approximately 80 miles southwest of Denver. The area studied for the FHBM is the incorporated areas of the City of Leadville as of March 7, 1975, Watershed Description The Arkansas River originates in Lake County north of Leadville, The headwaters of the Arkansas River are located in the San Isabel National Forest in northern Lake County at elevations in excess of 14,000 feet. The river flows southerly from it's origin through Lake County to where it crosses into Chaffee County near Granite, Colorado, The Arkansas River at the Lake - Chaffee county line has a basin size of just over 300 square miles, There are numerous tributaries to the Arkansas River within Lake County, most of which have not been studied in detail. A small portion of California Gulch, which is a tributary to the Arkansas River, flows through the southern edge of Leadville, F100dinl! Problems and F100dinl! History Convective type cloudburst storms sometimes lasting for several hours, can be expected to occur in the Leadville area during the summer months. The cloudburst storms can cause high peak flows with a small water volume over a short duration. Debris and mud flow along with local street flooding have occurred in Leadville during the summer months as a result of runoff from thunderstorm activity in the area, The debris and mud flow flooding has been a nuisance in the past, but there have been no reports of major structural damage to homes and other buildings in Leadville. The Star Ditch is not shown on the Leadville FHBM, but it has been a source of local flooding problems in the past. Hooding in Lake County generally occurs in the spring and early summer as a result of rapid melting of the mountain snowpack, Snowmelt flooding is characterized by moderate peak flows and large volumes of water over a long duration, The peak flows have a noticeable diurnal fluctuation, Snowmelt flooding may occasionally be augmented by rainfall. Flooding from general rainstorms may also occur during the months of July through October. General rainfall flooding is characterized by higher peak flows with a moderate volume and a moderate duration, Flooding is more severe when antecedent rainfall has resulted in saturated ground conditions or the ground is frozen and infiltration is minimal, Research of the study area yielded minimal information regarding major flooding events in Leadville or in Lake County, In spite of the long history of human activity in Lake County, there are no historical accounts of major flooding on the Arkansas River or its tributaries within the county, There have been, however, occurrences of high water in the past.