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<br />Hi"u!J'y 10 thl' Col'l'Jdo, fle,',ui(Hl in the <br />drJinalleb.-in ranges from Jbout 13,000 feet in <br />he.,dwJtef JreJ'to Jbo"t 4900fe"t at the mouth <br />of Ih"riv"r,,,,.rDeh., The,lrNmdrJinIJ"Oul <br />475'quaremilesattheupme.mltudylimil,565 <br />'quare m,I",atMontrmc, and 721 ,quJremilel <br />Jt lhe d<lwn<trNm ,tudy limit, Its tributary <br />drainage" bound..d on 11", w..st by Ih.. ~an <br />'V1igu.,lR;'''fb",in,onth..,outhby,th..Anim.- <br />Rive. b."in, and on Ihe,'a't J"d north by Ihe <br />Gunnison River b,,,in. <br />The widely varied topography of the <br />"'gion--mount,i" range" high plateau. Jnd <br />me,a" _"d IhecompJralivelyhighl.,'ncompah_ <br />greValley-creat"sdi\tinetand'Jrie<iclimalie <br />conditions, Low humidity and mild yea'-round <br />dimaticcondiliomgenerallyprevailduetothe <br />protection afforded by .urrounding high <br />mountain peaks, which tend 10 amact moi'lure <br />fwmp",sing'torm., butal'oprotectthe"lley <br />IfOm high velocily winds. HOw"""', t..mpera_ <br />tureoften drop. below lfe"l;ng in wintera"d <br /> <br />NATURE OF FLOOD PROBLEMS <br /> <br />Flood,inthelludyareagenerallyr".ultfrom <br />rap;d melting 01 the m<JUnlJin.nowpackfrom <br />.lbOUI themiddleof,'V1aythrou~h"",IYluly;'nn <br />frorn general 'ain,torm, that normally OCcur <br />trom July through October, Snowmelt floodmg <br />.,cha,acteri.ed by moderate peak flow.,I..g.. <br />,olume, long duration, .nd "'arked diurnal <br />t1u<:luati')rl 01 flow, Snowmelt runoff may <br />O,CJ,inn.lly he angm,'otedhy rain, R3inftood, <br />ore chJracte,ized by high peak ttow, ot <br />moderale yolume and duration, Floodi"~ i, <br />more Severe when .ntecedent ,.inf.1I h., <br /> <br />FLOOD HISTORY <br /> <br />Allhough lheMonlro,e.Olalhea.e.l has,' <br />long history of flooding,ddinil;'edalaonearl~ <br />floorl ,'yenl. are limited, LJ'ge flood. a,,, <br />known to h,l1ie occurred in the l,;ncompah~re <br />V.lllpydu,inglhel.,tcentury,Pri".loiIS <br />wttlemenl in the t81lO'" Chipeta, wile of th" <br />UlelodianChie!Our.Jy"t.lled,heh"d.eenlhe <br />Uncompahg'e Valley Jt Delta "flooded from <br />bluff 10 bluft." In lune."JJuh 1884.'"pid <br />meltin<\ 01 'l def'p ,n'''"pa<k.nd "on"urren' <br />~enefal fJin ".ll,ed w,de'p'ead flood,ng along <br />pOrliofllotlheColorJdo.l"dGunn'lonRive'l, <br /> <br />rile, to over 90" in ,ummeL Ave'''ge annual <br />me,n teml,,,"lure, rJng" from 35" to 64', <br />""ormal annu.I"iinfalla'''''.g",about9inchf'', <br />R.lin occurs throughout the )'ear, with th.' <br />,mallestamollntinluneJndthelargestamount <br />in Aug,,'t, Ave"se annual ,nowf.1I i,.lmo\1 30 <br />in"hes, in Ihehigh hNdw.terregions, normal <br />annual p."eipilat;on.verage.almo,t45 ioches_ <br />ann'K,ur;mo;lly."nowthatu'u;JIlYJc"umu- <br />lat'" iotoatleep ,nowpack, <br />Veget.llion in the '.liley, where ,till uod,,- <br />lurbed bv agriculture, and on the lower <br />mountain slope'cofllislS01 narrowle.lcollon- <br />wood and Ru"iJ" olive; .hrubs and b,u,h", <br />,uch al willow, wildro.",.lnd bulfaloberry; and <br />n"liyeg'J"e"lnthehighermo"rll;Jin()u,a,e3s, <br />vegelJtion include. an underslory of n.llive <br />gr''''''; willow and a YJriety 01 berry ,hrub\; <br />.nd sta,,<I, of quaking "pen, dwarl juniper, <br />l'ngelmaf1 Spruce, and 'ub-alpine fir. Much 01 <br />Ihear<'JaooyetimberhneisbJrrenandrocky, <br /> <br />flooding in "",io",.r"",, th"IYI'",ofpropeny <br />involved, and the kind,oldam.geincurrecf, <br />Record, ,how that, line.. the turn of the <br />centu'Y. nol.ble high flow, occurred on the <br />IJncompahgfe Ri,er in 1921,1927,1938.1941, <br />1944. 1947,195i,197),a"d1975,Thcl.rge.t <br />known fl""d, e,tim.ted peak Ilow of 5,140 <br /> <br />cub;c feet per ,econd, occurred "bOul min_ <br />lune, 1921., a relult of ,nO,,"01..it, Th" onl}' <br />notable cloudburstllood ol,ecord o(Curred in <br />July 1923, Peak ftow' of the larger hi,toric.1 <br />flood, on the Uncompahgr" River are ,hown in <br />hble1, <br /> <br />TABU 1 <br />PEAl( FLOWS Of HISTORICAL HOODS <br /> <br />Flood <br />Yed< <br /> <br />Pe.~ Flow (cubic leet pel second) <br />Ddt. Cage: I Date Colon. Cage: I Date <br /> <br />1921 <br />1927 <br />1938 <br />1941 <br />1944 <br />1947 <br />1957 <br />1975 <br /> <br />r"'ulteninS.lIUfar<>dgroundcoodiliom"'lhe <br />ground i. frozen and infiltration i, minimal. <br />Com'eni"" tyre cloLJdhur<t "",m" ,,,m,-,lim... <br />lal!inl\ for ,,'v,,(.] hour;, can be exp"ned to <br />occur in the Montrose-Olathe 'egio" du""g <br />the .umme" Runoff from Ihe,.. '1"'01' is <br />char.lue,ized by hil':h pe.lk diKhargc, .horl <br />duralion, .nd ,mall volu",,,, Uu" 10 lh".mall <br />areal ".I<'ot of cloudh"", "",m" they would <br />have Illtle elie" In the ,tUf]y Ml'J unless they <br />o('curredconwrrenlly with r"l'id '''ownwlt or <br />runoff from &..n",al r.in, <br /> <br />FI,,~ nuL uu"""din~ <br />'ht'm""'~, ',,'p,>;, ,I,;!, ik>w, <br /> <br />',OMch <br /> <br />It is prob.lbl.. Ih.lt ,imilar lIood <o,,<.1il;oo, <br />exoswd along th,-,Un,nmpJhgr..RwerheCJu'" <br />the 'nowpack WJ' unUluall}' deep dnd V,"Ned <br />v"'v l.Jrg...r<,., thaI Yl'ar,Alw, itwa"talt'u in <br />th<' Ma~ 17, 1884, editton of lh.. 5,10 luan <br />~rn'rt'((nr tl\"1 "Ihe LJ,,,,,,mpah8re " ri'irl8 <br />rapidly' and a" o,,,rllo.... i, feJ<l'd," Det.liled <br />new. COVNJg<, of Ilood,ng in thow YNr<, <br />h"..,,,-,,,.wa,pra<.ti,,,II,.rl<,n,'.i,(e"ldu"lothe <br />rurJI,lndi",I,l1t'dn.llU"'otth,.tloc><fedar"a,, <br />~"me k"owledg~ "r fluud "",,"I; wa'; 8ainc'tI <br />from "\,c'....i!ne,, "ecounts "f the C'Xtl'nt of <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />lun13-14 <br />)'."'28 <br />lun22 <br /> <br />Jun29 <br />lul4 <br />