FLOOD01851 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 11-1 SECTION I I STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION INTRODUCTION The study area is composed of that section of Clear Creek from Youngfield Street upstream through the City of Golden. As Figure 11-1 indicates, the major portion of the study area is located within unincorporated Jefferson County and the remainder is within the City of Golden. Adolph Coors Industries is the 1 argest property owner in the study area. STUDY REACH 1 (UPSTREAM GOLDEN CITY LIMIT TO TUCKER GULCH) STATI0N 885+00 to STATION 955+00 Study Reach 1 is a 6,500 foot (1.2 mile) se9ment of Clear Creek as it flows from the Golden City Limit upstream of U. S. 6 to its confl uence with Tucker Gulch, a major tributary. The creek is crossed in this reacn by U. S. 6, a pedestrian bridge, Washington Avenue and Ford Street. This study reach lies entirely within the City of Golden, and land use ranges from parkS and open space to residential, commercial and municipal type land use. The City's water treatment facility. Library, City Hall, Fire Department and Police Head- quarters are all located in the floodplain. The study area has been divided into three reaches for the purpose of thi s master pl anning effort, and these reaches are shown in Figure II-I. The 1 imits of each reach were chosen so that the characteristics and qual ities of a given reach along Clear Creek are unique and similar throughout that reach. Factors considered in defining reaches were fl oodpl ain, the extent of flood damages, and the planning objectives of those entities involved with this study. The indicated stationing refers to the channel reference 1 ine of the pl an and profile drawings in Appendix C. Floodplain problems in Reach 1 include the potential for a disruption of the City's water supply by the washout and loss of the treatment plant's raw water holding ponds and shallow flooding of the filter building. A residential area between 9th and 10th Streets is subject to flooding by major events. The bridge at Washington Street is overtopped during the 100-year flood and back- water from this bridge causes flooding upstream which affects the recreation bui lding, the 1 ibrary, and the municipal building which houses critical facil i- ties and equipment. The location of the Clear Creek study area within the overall Clear Creek drainage basin is illustrated by Figure II-2. The Clear Creek drainage basin contains approximately 575 square miles, 400 of which lies upstream of the City of Golden. From its sources near the Continental Divide in the Rocky fI'ountains, Clear Creek flows in an easterly direction, The City of Golden 1 ies at the downstream end of Cl ear Creek Canyon where the creek leaves its canyon confines and enters the high plains environment, flowing to its confl uence with the South Pl atte River north of Denver. El evations in the basin range from 5,100 feet to over 14,000 feet above mean sea 1 evel . The Ford Street bridge is also inadequate for the lOO-year flood and flow spreads out southward to inundate the Mitchell School and affects several com- mercial buildings. Downstream of Ford Street, flood flows would inundate the mobile home area along the north bank at Tucker Gulch and affect the Coors Wellness Center on the south side. A portion of the overflows on the south side flow easterly towards the Coors Brewery which is located in Reach 2.