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<br />the valley, Serious damages to the agricultural crops resulted in the plains area,
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<br />Flood of June 1949, Heavy rains in the headwaters area of the Big Thompson River
<br />basin resulted in a peak discharge On 4 June of 3,330 cis at the Drake station and 7,750
<br />cis at the Loveland station, Rainfall amounfs on 4 June were 2,75 inches at Estes Park
<br />and 3,66 inches at Waterdale, Be~een 4 and 7 June, Estes Park received 3,92 inches
<br />of rainfall while Waterdale received 5,30 inches, Lowland areas west of Loveland were
<br />flooded and U,S, Highway 34 to Estes Park was damaged,
<br />
<br />Flood of Auaust 1951, On 2 anCl3 August 1951, intense rains over much of the basin
<br />caused severe flooding along the Bill Thompson Riverfrom Buckhorn Creek to the mouth,
<br />The peak discharge at Drake was 3,530 cis on 3 August, At the river mouth, the flow
<br />peaked at 6,100 cis on 4 August, Estes Park received 1.31 inches of rain during 2 and 3
<br />August; Waterdale measured 4,64 inches, of which 4,18 inches fell on 2 August. On
<br />Buckhorn Creek, a dam containing about 1,000 acre-feet of stored water, failed at 10:00
<br />p.m, on 3 August. The flood crest reached Loveland at 11 :30 p,m, anCl the peak there was
<br />estimated to be 22,000 cis, The river was reported to be a mile wide in places, Numerous
<br />rural homes were flooded, many sWept from their foundations, One mile of U,S, Highway
<br />34 west of Loveland was washed away, Irrigation works, such as diversion dams and
<br />canals, were destroyed, crop loss Was heavy, and there was much sediment and erosion
<br />damage, The lives of four people Were lost and many were left homeless, Total damages
<br />from the flood were estimated at $El02,OOO,
<br />
<br />Flood of Julv 1976, Heavy rainfall, amounting to as much as 12 inches in 4 hours, fell
<br />on the evening of 31 July in the uPper Big Thompson River basin in the general vicinity
<br />of Estes Park, Glen Haven, and Dtake. The intense rainfall produced large amounts of
<br />runoff on tributaries of the Big Thompson River as well as on the aig Thompson River
<br />Itself, Flash flood conditions prevailed from the rainfall area downstream to the mouth of
<br />the Big Thompson River canyon Wllst of Loveland, The estimated Peak discharge at the
<br />U.S,G.S, stream gaging station Ioc<ited on the Big Thompson River e miles east of Drake
<br />was 31,200 cis - about 4 times larger than the previous recorded Peak discharge, It is
<br />estimated that the drainage area contributing to the flood hydrograph at the canyon mouth
<br />was about 70 square miles out of the total drainage area of 304 square miles at this point,
<br />Damages from this flood were es\imated at about $35,000,000 in Larimer County and
<br />about $45,000 in Weld County, One hundred thirty-nine bodies were recovered in the
<br />flood aftermath with six persons listed as still missing,
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<br />Colorado Flood
<br />Hydrology Ma1!ual '
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<br />4,18
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