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<br />Section 3 <br /> <br />Hvdraulic Characteristics for the Studv Stream Reach <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Using the flood hydrology described above and detailed topographic mapping (from 1985 aerial <br />photography for the reach between Palisade and Fruita and from 1982 aerial photography for the <br />reach between Glenwood Springs and the east end of DeBeque Canyon), other parties (FEMA and <br />the Corps of Engineers) prepared detailed hydraulic analyses that can be used for all of the 8 ponds <br />except Island Acres Ponds. At Island Acres a local approximate hydraulic analysis had to be <br />conducted since no floodplain study had been performed. tOO-year and 50-year flood depths at each <br />site except Island Acres were computed by comparing flood elevations from the detailed hydraulic <br />analyses cited above to ground elevations at the site, <br /> <br />CWCB staff conducted field surveys and inspections of existing ground elevations at each site. At <br />Parachute Pond available topographic mapping was deemed satisfactory for determining ground <br />elevations. At Connected Lakes State Park (2 Connected Lakes and Duke Lake) a partial field <br />survey was conducted because of time constraints. The survey of high ground extended from the <br />upstream end of the park to a point about halfway downstream in the park. No data were collected <br />from there downstream to the west end of the park. High ground elevations are unknown for the <br />west end of the park. <br /> <br />For all of the ponds except for Island Acres Ponds the surveys consisted of ground profiles for the <br />"ridge" of high ground between the ponds and the Colorado River (parallel to the direction of flow). <br />For Island Acres Ponds the survey consisted of a cross-section (perpendicular to the direction of <br />flow) through the middle of the State Park. The cross-section started at the opposite side of the river <br />from the park (the south bank of the river) and then extended through the park to high ground near <br />1-70. From that single cross-section one can only derive an approximate estimate of flood elevations <br />and flood depths at Island Acres State Park. <br /> <br />For each pond except the Island Acres Ponds a profile sheet comparing existing ground elevations <br />to 100-year flood elevations is included. In each case a profile of high ground parallel to the <br />Colorado River was field surveyed. Since that "ridge" of high ground is the feature that would <br />provide protection to the pond, it is the feature that needs to be compared to flood elevations. The <br />profile sheets are included in Section 5 (Subsection 5.2) along with a discussion of the flood depths <br />at each site. It is important to remember that the elevation of that ground is not the only <br />characteristic that determines whether flooding would be a problem at a particular site. The width <br />of the "ridge", the steepness of its side slopes, its permeability to water, and its stability in the face <br />of erosive forces must also be considered. Those parameters will also be considered in Section 5. <br /> <br />CWCB staff did not find any detailed topographic mapping of the DeBeque Canyon, including Island <br />Acres State Park. No detailed floodplain mapping of the canyon has been prepared. In order to <br />estimate flood conditions at Island Acres, another approach had to be taken. A cross-seotion of the <br />river, including the overbank area where the state park is located, was surveyed. The Cameo stream <br />gage is only a few miles upstream of the park, so the peak flow values at that site could be used for <br />an approximate hydraulic analysis. That analysis provided a preliminary estimate of the depth of <br />flooding at Island Acres (at least at the location of the cross-section) during a 50-year and a 100-year <br />flood. Since the park is about 0.5 mile long, it would be helpful to have more topographic <br />information than a single cross-section to describe the flood risk there. <br /> <br />9 <br />