FLOOD01831

• County: Fremont
• Community: Canon City
• Stream Name: Arkansas River &Tributaries
• Title: Canon City Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan - The August 12, 1991 Flood
• Date: 8/1/1993
• Prepared For: Canon City
• Prepared By: Office of Emergency Management, FEMA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

8125193

flow into the city, much of which lies in the
100 year flood plain in the base of a watershed
(see figure 11), These torrents are easily dis-
persed over large areas of land when they
converge on the relatively flat to gently slop-
ing terrain of the urbanized area of Canon
City.

Information from local residents, newspaper
files, and the Weather Bureau shows that
flash flooding has occurred in 1906, 1921,
1929, 1930, 1934, 1935, 1947, 1948, 1954,
1956, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966 and 1974. The
1974 flood caused $380,000 in damages. In
1969 a watershed flood control plan was
authorized to reduce damage to agricultural
land and structures. Between 1969 and 1972
two flood control structures were built south
of the Lincoln Park area to slow down the
floodwaters and reduce the flood plain size
(see figure 12), Plans for similar structures
north of Canon City were changed because the
land rights could not be obtained. However,
due to considerable damage to the north
Canon City area during the 1974 flood the
Canon City Watershed Project/diversion dam
option was again considered, but met with
opposition from the local community. That
project may no longer be feasible due to devel-
opment of the proposed detention structure
area.

Arkansas River Flooding

Although the Arkansas River is the largest
water body in the city it does not represent as
severe a threat as do intermittent streams/ar-
royos. This is due to the predominant forest
vegetation of the Upper Arkansas River Basi~
which absorbs much of the runoff, and the
mountains which act as a flood barrier. How-
ever, the Arkansas River has flooded parts of
Canon City before from spring snow melt,
-often augmented by rain-- or summer thun-
dershowers.

Canon City Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan

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LEGEND
WATERSHED BOl.INDARY
NATIONAL FOREST 8OlM)AR'(
STATE LEASE LAND BOUNDARY
DRAINAGE MEA. CONTROLLED
BY STRUCnm:
AREA BENEFITED

FLOODWATER RETARDING STRUCTURE

Q,A. DRAINAGE AREA
FLOOOWAY
e ~ STRUCTURE NUMBER
..........-.... FLOODWATER DIVERSION OII<E

Figure 12 - Canon City Waters1u!d and
l'roposed Improvements

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