FLOOD02603

• County: Garfield
• Community: Glenwood Springs
• Stream Name: Roaring Fork River
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Title: Debris Flow Costs & Inventory of City of Glenwood Springs Area July 10,1928 Flood Debris Flow
• Date: 5/1/1986
• Prepared For: Glenwood Springs
• Prepared By: Mount Sopris SCS
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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Since the City of Glenwood Springs receives a large portion of revenue from
tourist dollars, anything detracting from the scenic view and use of the area
can lose some of those dollars. News accounts of the damages and clean-up
necessary undoubtedly caused some vacationers to look elsewhere for their summer
outings.
With fishing as one of the outdoor recreation activities for tourists in
the area, the death of fish in the Roaring Fork River due to the flash flooding
was another economic loss.
According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, fish died for two reasons,
suffocation from mud and debris in the water, and stress caused by combating
high water and its velocity, Whitefish, which are strei'lll bottom feeders, were
subject to heavy rock movement, The stocked trout do not have the muscle
development of German Brown for river-bred populations so they don't have the
power to fight back in swift and cluttered waters.
In a normal year, the DOW would have restocked the river immediately but
because it was a drought year in 1977, they waited until 1978. Marvin Smith of
the DOW estimated it would take from 4 days to a week for the river to clean
since small tributaries high on the rivers also had had mud and debris flows.
Recreation days lost from July to September 15 were over 50 because of the
downpour but no figures for lost tourist dollars were gathered.
In interviewing numerous residents, interesting sidelights of losses are
mentioned many times:
The number of shoes and gloves which were ruined. The clothesl ines and
poles and trellises which had to be replaced in all parts of the covered areas;
the need to purchase extra equipment for clean-up, such as shovels, trash cans,
wheelbarrows; 1 andscaping acquired over many years that was not repl aced because
of the cost to replace everything at one time. Clothes washers, freezers,
electrical appl iances with damaged motors. Houses needed to be scrubbed and
repainted, carpets cleaned, drapes cleaned, cars washed and repaired for such