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Last modified
1/29/2010 10:15:22 AM
Creation date
10/4/2006 11:41:20 PM
Metadata
Fields
Template:
Floodplain Documents
County
Prowers
Bent
Otero
Community
Southeastern Colorado
Stream Name
Arkansas River
Basin
Arkansas
Title
Post Flood Assessment Report Arkansas River
Date
9/15/1999
Prepared For
State of Colorado
Prepared By
US Army Corps of Engineers
Floodplain - Doc Type
Flood Documentation Report
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<br />--.- <br /> <br />CHAPTER 1 <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />The Arkansas River Basin in southern Colorado originates on the eastern face of the Rocky <br />Mountains near Leadville and follows a southeast and eastward course for a distance of about <br />360 river miles before it crosses the State boundary into Kansas. John :\t!artin Dam spans the <br />river about 58 miles upstream from the State boundary. The subbasin above the dam comprises <br />an area of18,915 square miles. This subbasin area has a width of about 25 miles in the <br />headwaters region to a maximum of about 140 miles in the vicinity of Pueblo; then narrowing to <br />a maximum of about 120 miles in the vicinity of the reservoir. Drainage area data for the <br />subbasin area upstream of John Martin Dam are given in Table 1-1. <br /> <br />The headwaters area of the Arkansas River is one of the highest regions in North America. <br />There are 25 peaks over 14,000 feet; including Mt. Elbert at elevation 14,431 feet, the highest <br />point in Colorado. The river drops rapidly from its source and emerges from the mountainous <br />area through the Royal Gorge. Below the canyon, the valley gradually grows wider through the <br />foothills merging into the Great Plains in the vicinity of Pueblo. The decreasing stream gradient <br />and progressive widening of the valley permits large scale irrigated agricultural development in <br />the fertile Great Plains region of southeastern Colorado. <br /> <br />The principle tributaries above Pueblo in downstream order are the South Arkansas River, Grape <br />Creek, Oil Creek, Hardscrabble Creek, and Beaver Creek. These tributaries are typical snow and <br />spring-fed mountain streams which cascade through deep canyons and '~ontribute much of the <br />main stem flow. Large magnitude floods are relatively rare. Above Canon City the river <br />descends over 6,000 feet in a distance of less than 130 miles. Stream gradients often exceed 50 <br />feet per mile. Between Canon City and Pueblo, the valley is generally Iilarrow and the streambed <br />is well defined. The channel capacity in this reach is approximately 3,000 to 5,000 c.f.s. (cubic <br />feet per second) and a gradient ranging from 10 to 23 feet per mile. <br /> <br />Below Pueblo the river valley widens and varies in width from one to three miles throughout <br />eastern Colorado. Population centers along the Arkansas River, in downstream order, are <br />Avondale, Boone, Fowler, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, Swink, La Junta, and Las Animas. The <br />gradient below Pueblo fluctuates between five and nine feet per mile. The channel capacity <br />downstream of Pueblo gradually increases reaching the maximum of 10,200 c.f.s. at La Junta and <br />then diminishing to 6,500 c.f.s. at Las Animas just upstream of John Martin Dam. <br /> <br />The principal tributaries from Pueblo to John Martin Dam are Fountain Creek, Huerfano River, <br />Apishapa River, and Purgatoire River. Fountain Creek originates on the slopes of Pikes Peak <br />and flows generally southward to join the Arkansas River from the north at Pueblo. The <br />Huerfano, Apishapa, and Purgatoire Rivers originate in the Sangre de Cristo Range along the <br />southwest rim of the subbasin and flow generally northeast across the high plains to enter the <br /> <br />Post Flood Assessment Report <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />Chapter i-introduction <br />Draft Revised 09109199 <br />
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