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<br />flood with the runoff from Cherry Creek would have resulted in an <br />estimated peak discharge at the Denver gage of 65,006' cubic, feet per <br />second. <br /> <br />[ <br />, <br />. <br />t <br />, <br /> <br />(2) Had ,the flood occurred on the-lower Cherry Creek channel, <br />it would have, carried away the 41 structures which cross the stream in <br />the urban reach. These include six railroad bridges,,2a major city <br />bridges, one pipeline and six foot bridges. Moreover, the higher <br />flood stages on the South Platte River would have damaged or destroyed <br />the remaining bridges over the river which were not destroyed by the <br />South Platte River flood. The additional flood volume also would <br />have increased flood stages considerably in the ru~al reaches down- <br />stream from Denver, ,and would have caused additional major damages to <br />irrigation. structures, irrigated lands, and roads and bridges in these <br />reaches. However, the major damages would have been inflicted on the <br />commercial and industrial properties along the Cherry Creek channel <br />and the lower South Platte River valley in metropolitan Denver. The <br />increased stages near the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South <br />Platte River would have flooded vastly 'greater areas of central Denver <br />and would have virtually paralyzed the metropolitan ,community. In <br />addition to'preventing much greater flood damages, Cherry Creek Dam <br />retained a large volume of flood-borne debris which otherwise would <br />have considerably increased the cost of cleanup operations in' <br />metropolitan Denver. Flood damages prevented by the Cherry Creek <br />project are estimated at $130 million. The inflow hydrograph at <br />Cherry Cre~k Reservoir for the 16 June flood is illustrated on plate 7. <br /> <br />(3) During the period 23-26 July 1965, the Cherry Creek <br />project impounded three separate surges of additional flood runoff. <br />The largest of these had a peak inflow of 5,000 cubic feet per <br />second. The total flood volume impounded during this period was <br />3,144 acre-feet. Since the June flood would have destroyed the <br />economic improvements of the Cherry Creek valley, the theoretical <br />damages prevented in the July flood were not computed nor have <br />estimates been made of the losses to reconstruction which would have <br />been in progress. <br /> <br />c. Soil Conservation Service watershed projects. <br /> <br />(1) Kiowa Creek watershed project. Of 60 floodwater retarding <br />structures constructed in the Kiowa Creek bas in, 30 were filled to, <br />capacity by runoff from the June 1965 'flood. Water flowed over <br />emergency spillways to depths of as much as 35 feet. These structures <br />prevented flooding of an additional 2,500 to 3,000 acres. .In,addition, <br />the project prevented severe flooding in the towns of Elbert and Kiowa <br />as well as damage or loss of State and county bridges: This project <br />is credited with estimated damage prevention of $700,000 at an <br />invested cost of $1,250,000. <br /> <br />13 <br />