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<br />. <br /> <br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />Communitv Descrintion <br />Clear Creek County is located in central Colorado just on the east side of the Continental Divide <br />and due west of the Denver metropolitan area. Georgetown is the county seat of Clear Creek <br />County, and is approximately 50 miles west of Denver. Interstate Highway 70 is the major east- <br />west highway that serves the County, and is one of the few major transportation routes that passes <br />through the Rocky Mountains. The east portal of Eisenhower Tunnel, near Loveland Ski Area, is in <br />the county. The county is situated mainly within the Clear Creek watershed, with the population <br />centers (i.e. Idaho Springs, Georgetown, and Silver Plwne) located along the Clear Creek <br />mainstem. The area studied for the FIRM is the incorporated areas of the Clear Creek County as <br />of March 1980. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Watershed Descrintion <br />The Clear Creek watershed and mainstem originates in Clear Creek County on the eastern slope of <br />the Rocky Mountains. Clear Creek flows through the county from west to east and has a generally <br />well defmed main channel and floodplain. The drainage area of Clear Creek at Idaho Springs, just <br />downstream of Soda Creek, is 256 square miles. Some of the major tributaries in Clear Creek <br />County include South Clear Creek, Leavenworth Creek, West Fork Clear Creek, Chicago Creek, <br />and the Fall River. The headwaters of Clear Creek originate at the Continental Divide with <br />elevations in excess of 14,000 feet. The elevation of the mainstem near the eastern county line <br />about 7,400 feet. Clear Creek eventually flows through the Cities of Golden and Denver and into <br />the South Platte River. <br /> <br />Floodine Problems and Floodine Historv <br />Flooding on Clear Creek from Idaho Springs upstream normally occurs during the spring and early <br />summer months due to rapid melt of mountain snowpack. Flooding on the smaller tributaries, such <br />as Virginia Canyon, normally occurs in the summer months as a result of intense localized <br />thunderstorms. A combination of rainfall and snowmelt can sometimes prove to be the worst <br />flooding scenario for streams in the upper Clear Creek watershed. The most frequent flooding <br />seems to occur during the months of June and July, however natural flooding is possible from May <br />through September. Another source of potential hazard to life and property can be attributed to <br />failure of man-made water structures such as dams. There are several water supply and hydro- <br />electric dams within the county. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />There have been a nwnber of high water events on Clear Creek and its tributaries in the county. The <br />most recent high water occurred during 1997. An intense thunderstorm dwnped heavy rain on the <br />Witter Gulch watershed and caused a significant amount of damage to County roads and culverts, <br />utilities, and private driveways. As a result of the 1997 flooding, Clear Creek County received a <br />Presidential Disaster Declaration on the coattails of the Fort Collins and Sterling disasters. In 1995, <br />The Town of Georgetown was seriously impacted when snowmelt floodwaters could not be <br />contained in the main channels of South Clear Creek and Clear Creek. Emergency response teams <br />constructed sandbag levees and diversion channels to prevent severe property damage in the town. <br />Repeated flood and debris flows have occurred in Virginia Canyon over the years. <br />2 <br />