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<br />Related Flood Studies <br />In 1978 the Corps of En9ineers prepared a Floodplain Information Report for <br />the Ar~ansas River Sasin at Florence. Colorado (Reference 1). The Ar~ansas <br />River hydrologic and hydraulic analyses contained therein ....ere used for <br />this study. <br />GreatOivideEngineering has comp1eted a Floodplain Information Report on <br />Northeast Canon Orainage for Canon City. Fremont County and the Colorado <br />OIater Conservation Soard (COICS). The Great Divide Engineering Study <br />revises and supercedesa Soil Conservation Service study entitled. "Flood <br />Hazard Analysis Portions of Red Canyon Ora.... and Tributaries, Fremont <br />County, Colorado, January, 1976," (Reference g). The lOG-year floodplain <br />produced from Northeast Canon drainage is joined into the Arkansas River <br />lOO~year floodplain and is delineated on Plate 9. Appendix ll, of this <br />report. <br /> <br />STUDY AREA OESCRIPTION <br /> <br />Drainage Basin Characteristics <br />The Ar~ansas River basin above Canon City is characterized by high mountain <br />valleys surrounded on three sides by mountains reaching dltitudes of more <br />than 14,000 fE'et. The basin is ccmpletely surrounded on three sides and <br />part of the fourth by mountain ranges that act as orographic barriers to <br />major storm systems. Belo.... Canon City the valley opens up into a ....ide <br />river valley and....ith less orographic barriers, The frequency and volurne <br />of past floods also silo.... dramatic increases belo.... Canon City. <br />Tne portion of the Arkansas River under consideration in tllis stud yhasfts <br />lower limits at 0.2 mile below the Colorado US Higllway bridge (see Basin <br />MapPlatell. Orainagearedsforselectedpointsalongthestudyreachare <br />given in Table 1. <br /> <br />Camp Dresser & McKee is currently preparing a Flood Insurance Study in <br />Canon City for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In the Flood <br />Insu.-anceReport, five tributaries of the Arkansas River are being studied <br />along ....ith the Arkansas River. ThE-se tributaries are Northeast Canon <br />drainage. Southeast Canon drainage, Sand Creek, Forked GulCh and West <br />Forked Gulch. The 100- and SOD-year floodplains will be delineated for <br />each flooding source studied. Flooding infonnation for Northeast Canon <br />drainage will coincide ....ith the eWCB study. For the Arkansas River al1 <br />infonnation will coincide ....ith this study and all tributaries will use the <br />Arkansas River as the regulatory flooding source. <br /> <br />Table I <br /> <br />location <br /> <br />Drainage Areas <br />Area (squa.-emlles) <br /> <br />Arkansas Rfver at Canon City <br />Arkansas River at Flo.-ence <br />(just upstream of Florencel <br /> <br />3,117 <br />3,546 <br /> <br />The nonnal annual precipitation forCanonClty/Florence, Colorado area is <br />14 inches of....hlch 60 percent falls from May to September. In the Arkansas <br />River basin pre<:ipitatfon varies from 11.8 inches per year at Pueblo to <br />more than 40 inChes on the peaks....estofleadville. most of it fn the fonn <br />of sno..... The temperature varies along the basin from a mean minimUll1 and <br />muimUll1 of 22.0~ F and 49.5" F at leadville to a R\('an minimllll and ma~imum <br />temperature of 37.3" F <Ind 6a.O~ F at Pueblo. Above Canon CHy the basin <br />topography is typfcal mountain terrain with characteristic alpine <br />vegetation. Below Canon City the basin topography is much like that of the <br />lower foothills and plains area. <br /> <br />Study Ruch Description <br />The study reach is located along the Arkansas River in Fremont County, <br />Colorado. The lo....er 1 imit e~tends to 0.2 miles belOW the Colorado US <br />bridge near Flo.-ence, and the upper limit is located at the ufstream <br />corporate 1 imits of Canon City (see jnde~ !l\aps, ~lates 2.j dnd 2-Il,. Th.. <br />dver in this area is well defined nowing through allUVial material with <br />an average slope of 48 feet per mile. <br />Within the study reaCh the stream channel is generally flatand....ide. The <br />types of land lIse perrnitted along the river will substantially affect the <br />e~tent of loss and damage brought about by flooding. With sound planning <br />practices. losses due to flooding can be greatly r",dl.lcedby lfmiting the <br />high risk development in the flood hazard area. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />5 <br />