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I I I I I I I ,I I I I I I I I I I I I CHAPTER 5 Glenwood Springs, Colorado Flood of August 5th, 2002 Mitchell Creek Introduction On Monday, August 5th, 2002, three tenths of an inch of rain fell on the Glenwood Springs, Colorado area in a period of20 minutes (Wallace, 2). Normally this moisture would be a welcome and common occurrence in this small town along Interstate 70. However, after a nearby forest fire destroyed most of the trees and vegetation in the area, the rain brought mudslides and minor flooding to the residents ofthis mountain community. Several mudslides were reported in the area and roughly 150 families were evacuated due to flood warnings issued for the Mitchell Creek area. No injuries were reported from this event and fumilies were allowed to return to their homes and businesses the next morning. According to the Central Colorado OEM (Office of Emergency Management) Field Representative, Steve Denney, a Mitchell Creek flood mitigation project was recently completed in the area to help minimize the damages from this and future events. In addition, work was done to stabilize parts of a steep hillside in West Glenwood Springs by Dan Sokal with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (McGregor, 2). Both of these projects were thought to have helped minimize the impacts to the community from this storm. Figure 5.1 - Garfield County Location In the State of Colorado. Map courtesy oflhe Colorado Herpetological Society. Location and Description Glenwood Springs, Colorado is located west of the Denver area along Interstate 70 in Garfield County (see Figure 5.3 on the next page). According to the 2000 Census, 00 Glenwood Springs I Figure 5.2 - Colorado Headwaters Watershed and Location Obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency's "Surf Your Watershed" website. ICON Engireering, :nc 39 Janoory 2003