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<br />The flood characterized as "The worst flood in Rifle history" occurred <br />on August 8, 1930 following, by less than a month, a damaging flood that <br />occurred in July. The August flood resulted from a two hour cloudburst <br />that produced hIgh peak flows in Rifle and Government Creeks that claimed <br />the life of a state highway patrolman; washed out two bridges; under- <br />mined railroad tracks and flooded the train station; and inundated the <br />sewage treatment plant, and bulk storage facilities of six oi I companies. <br />The Third Street bridge over Rifle Creek col lapsed less than two hours <br />after the cloudburst began. Local runoff from Graham Mesa flooded base- <br />ments in east Rifle. East of town, near the vanadium mil I, floodwaters <br />from an unnamed gulch washed out a section of U.S. Highway 6 and depos- <br />ited tons of rocks and mud on the railroad main line. <br /> <br />The most recent floods of importance occurred in August 1963. On <br />the 9th, floodflows from a cloudburst severly damaged the Pioneer <br />Ditch diversion in Rifle. In areas nearby, roads were covered with <br />mud, agricultural faci I itles were damaged, and a large culvert was <br />destroyed. The cloudburst resulted in the largest flow ever recorded <br />(1720 cfs) at the Rifle Creek gaging station near Rifle. On the 12th, <br />another cloudburst resulted in the flooding of several streets in <br />downtown Rifle, severe damage to streets, and deposition of tons of <br />sediment and other flood detritus on streets and roads. During the <br />cloudbursts, .52 inches of rain were recorded at the Rifle weather <br />station, and It is estimated that several Inches of rain fel I on the <br />watersheds tributary to Rifle Creek. <br /> <br />The general nature of cloudburst flooding and damage In the study <br />area is illustrated by the following newspaper article. <br /> <br />16 <br />