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f" , WELD COUNTY ~eral: The purpose of the report is to genera 11 y out 1 ine the long range efforts for flood c0ntrol now proposed and under way in Weld Couhty, and to demonstrate how these efforts will fit in with plans advocat'ed by the Five County Flood Control Commission. t These efforts, or proGrams, will encompass year round mai~tenance to help control the damages In Weld County that have been all too frequent. The program will help in this area until projects of a much greater magni- tude, as have been advocated, are undertaken. We will show briefly some of the costs that have been incurred which ~ill, in t~rn, demonstrate tho need. At this time it is felt by Weld County that the most immediate need is for channel cleaning and proper shaping of the Platte River and its tributaries. History: Weld County has within its boundaries eighty miles of the Platte River, twenty-four miles of the Cache La Poudre River, eleven miles of the Big Thompson River, twelve miles of the St. Vrain River, and seven miles of Boulder Creek; to mention only the major waterways. Each one of these rivers has been in its own right, somewhat troublesome in the past, with damages quite small as compared to the scope of the June 1965 flood. Published water records, special subcommittee reports to the Committee of Publ ic Works, and a Geological Survey Water Supply Paper serve to illustrate this. The May 1969 flood was not 1 ike the one in June of 1965. even though records are still being compiled. The areas East and North of the City of Denver were almost unaffected in May of 1969, whereas in June of 1965, the water records for peak flows nearly doubled in several places. An almost incomprehensible 466,000 cubic feet per second was recorded on Bijou Creek near ~iggins on June 13, 1965. ~: Weld County is located in northeastern Colorado and Is bounded by Larimer, Boulder, Adams, Morgan, and Logan Counties, and the State of Wyoming. The terrain is mostly roll ing hills with six of northern Colorado's main drainage systems terminating in the Platte River within the County Boundary. Economy: Weld County is primarily an agricultural area with roughly 90% of its valuation farm and ranch oriented. Recently the addition of the Fort St. Vraln Nuclear Generating Station and the Kodak plant near Windsor indicate a trend toward an Increased industrial economy and urbanization. Flood Control Planninq: An attempt at channel straightening below the City of Greeley is the only effort being made at this time.