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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'2- ~"37- <br /> <br />For Immediate Release <br /> <br />Project Status <br /> <br />March 2, 1978 <br /> <br />Floodplain Information Report <br />North Fork Gunnison River <br />Hotchkiss to Somerset, Colorado <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />State law charges the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) <br />to "designate" and "approve" all flood hazard area studies before <br />local governments can legally regulate floodplains in their juris- <br />diction. Under the law, accurate floodplain information for desig- <br />nated and approved storm or floodway runoff channels is then made <br />available to county and municipal governments. The local governments <br />can then establish their own zoning regulations to control land use <br />in the floodplain with the objective of lessening or avoiding the <br />hazards to persons and damage to property. <br /> <br />There are presently no definitive floodplain studies of the <br />North Fork Gunnison River in Delta County except for large scale <br />floodprone area maps prepared using approximate methods. The North <br />Fork valley is presently experiencing rapid growth and accurate <br />knowledge of the 100-year floodplain elevations and boundaries is <br />needed for effective floodplain management practices. <br /> <br />Project Description <br /> <br />The objective of the project is to determine the 10-, 50-, 100-, <br />and 500-year frequency flood elevations along the North Fork Gunnison <br />River from Hotchkiss to Somerset, Colorado. The floodplain shall <br />be delineated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, <br />on maps furnished by the County in cooperation with the CWCB. The <br />CWCB shall document the studies by publishing a floodplain informa- <br />tion report. <br /> <br />The study reach begins on the North Fork Gunnison River at a <br />point about one mile below the town of Hotchkiss and extends upstream <br />approximately 12 miles to a point above the town of Somerset, in <br />Gunnison County, Colorado. The North Fork Gunnison River drainage <br />basin contributing to streamflows near the town of Somerset at the <br />upstream study limits is approximately 531 square miles. <br /> <br />Detailed topographic maps, on a scale of 1" = 200' and 5' <br />contour intervals, are available for the entire study reach. The <br />mapping was originated in 1975 by the Colorado Highway Department. <br />They have generously allowed their original contractor, Delta Aerial <br />Surveys, Inc., of Denver, to use their source materials in the flood- <br />plain study project. <br /> <br />The CWCB, in cooperation with Delta County, has contracted with <br />