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<br />the event of intense ralnf~il creating IrrigatIon dItch embankment <br />failure. Crops, roads, and f~Mm buildIngs could receive some dom- <br />agetromthaseSlllal1 streams. TheflooddamagepOtentlallntha <br />South Platte River basin can be reduced by Implementing flood emer- <br />gency plans and sound flood plain Management concepts. <br /> <br />PAST FLOODS <br /> <br />Flood w~rnlno and forecastlno - The National Oceanic and <br />AtmospherIc AdminIstration (NO~), National Weather ServIce, sup. <br />piles weather foreCllsts at lel:lst twice da Ily for the are~. Special <br />forecasts of severe stOMmS, flood w~rnlngs, and snowmelt advisarles <br />of a general nature are also Issued as required. R8dar observetlon <br />of Intense precipitation and projection of stoMm movement gives <br />some lead time for flash flood warnings; this Info~tlon Is promptly <br />dissemlnatedtoallnewsmodlaand local officIals by the best CO<rl- <br />munlcatlons ~vallable. <br /> <br />SUMMARY OF hiSTORICAL FLOODS <br />Several florn:ls have occurred dlong the South PldtteRiver <br />JndPawneeCreekinthe$terlingarea. Tables 4, 5,and61ndlcate <br />yearly peak diSCharges experienced on the South Platte River at the <br />three stream gaging stations operated In the past by the U.S. Gao- <br />logical Survey described In table 2. No accounts of annual peak <br />discharges on Pawnee Creek are presented s;nce pertinent stream <br />gaging data wes unavailable. <br /> <br />FLOOORECORDS <br /> <br />Flood fl~htino and emerqency evacuation pionS - The Logan <br />County Civil Defense Office coordInates disaster activities with <br />the StaTe CIvil DefenseCfflce, Ttleyfoolthatthoyhaveadequate <br />organization to meet any emergency. <br /> <br />Two U.S. Geological Survey str~m 9aging stations on the <br />South Pliltte River currently record dlschilrge dat~ pertinent to the <br />studyreilch. Stream gages used inthestudyweredescrlbedln <br />tabl" 2. Flood accounts are available from local newspapers, the <br />Corps of Engineers. The Colorado Water Conservation Board, the <br />U.S. Geological Survey, and Logan County. <br /> <br />fLOOD DESCRIPTIONS <br /> <br />Material storaqa On the flood plain - Floatable manmade <br />material stored on the flood plain Is often w~shed away during <br />floods with the potantlal of collectlng at points downstream. T~e <br />flood plaIn In the study reaCh does contain such material. When <br />floatable objects are stored on the flood pl<'lln, they soould be <br />secured In some filshlon. OTher floatable material, such <'IS trees, <br />brilnches, brush, and logs, Is in evidence along the stro.ams, This <br />~terial could fOMmobstructlonsto flood/low.., espoclally ilt bridges, <br />In The event of a flood. <br /> <br />Thafollowingflood<'lccountsaretypical of tloodevents <br />which hilve occurred along the South Platte River In ilnd ildjilcent to <br />the Sterling area, but are, by no means, iI complete history ot such. <br />Tney ilre presented here to give some Ins;ght as to the source and <br />magnItude of floodwaters trom the South Platte River affecting the <br />Sterlingarw. <br /> <br />1844.Floodwaterspurportedlycovared the bottomlands <br />In The Denver vicinity trom bluff to blutf. <br /> <br />May-June 1864-Threesep"rate t!oodsc"used by heavy <br />rains over snow occurred during Mily and June on the South Platte <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />15 <br />