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<br />. <br /> <br />The Highline Canal was constructed in the late l800's and is <br /> <br /> <br />currently owned and operated by the Denver Board of Water Commis- <br /> <br /> <br />sioners. It is utilized for the conveyance of municipal and <br /> <br /> <br />irrigation waters from the South Platte River upstream from <br /> <br /> <br />Waterton to Second Creek near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a <br /> <br />distance of 67 miles. The canal crosses t.he middle of the <br /> <br /> <br />Westerly Creek basin. It has a capacity of about 250 c.f.s. The <br /> <br /> <br />city of Aurora has constructed extensive drainage facilities for <br /> <br /> <br />the eastern portions of the basin upstream from the Highline <br /> <br /> <br />Canal. There are three detention ponds upstream from the canal - <br /> <br /> <br />Ponds A-B, C, and D - and a concrete lined channel from Pond D to <br /> <br /> <br />Pond A-B. The capacities of these ponds are 180, 20, and 210 <br /> <br /> <br />acre-feet, respectively. These faciliti~s are shown on plate 1. <br /> <br />flOOD PROBLEMS. <br /> <br />Flooding on Westerly Creek has occurred in l4 of the years <br /> <br /> <br />since 1942. On these occasions, flooding caused inundation of <br /> <br /> <br />homes and streets in the area downstream from Kelly Road Dam to <br /> <br /> <br />depths of up to 4.5 feet. <br /> <br />Flood damages have also occurred in the part of the basin <br /> <br /> <br />upstream from Lowry Air Force Base. Mos.t of these damages have <br /> <br /> <br />occurred since 1965, when the area began to urbanize. <br /> <br />Floods in 1965 and 1973 breached and destroyed embankments <br />along the Highline Canal. The flood of May 1973 nearly filled <br />Kelly Road Dam. One life was lost in U73. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />13 <br />