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SUMMARY OF FLOOD SITUATlO~ eumm~rize significant findings which are discussed in mora detail in succeeding sections of this report. The city of Pueblo, Colorado, is located at the con. fl~ence of the Arkansas River snd f~ntsin Creek (see Plate 1). Floodprone drainages of the Arkansas River that contribute to the Pueblo flood proble~ include: Dry Creek, s north-bank trib~tary, flo~ing ~owth just within Pueblo's ~aetern boundary; Wild Horsa- Dry Creek, also a north_bank tributary but flowing southeasterly through the city's northwest quadrant into the Arkansas River; and Goodnight Arroyo, a sowth_bank tributary that meanders northeast- erly to the Arkansas River at a point just outsida the western corporate limits of Pueblo, This report COvers portions of these local drainages th~t ~re within the planning jurisdiction of the Pueblo R~gion~l Planni~ Com~ie'ion. Ae shown On Plate 2, the study ~re~s consid_ sred encompass 11.42 miles or channBls inclwdlng 5,7C, 3.20, and 2.52 milss, respectively, on Wile Horse-Dry ~reek, Dry Creek, and G~~dnight Arroyo. Puoblo's principal residential developments are on high groun~ adjoining the ~atsrways, but SOm$ residential and cown~rcial develop~~nt ~xi~t~ On flood plain land~ which are i~.adiat~ly adjacent to the stream channels. A great flood could inundate a large segment of tha downtown commerCial and .LtLu""tdol o,'..~~. Pm'Hun" or th.,se la"us ond th~ ~L'~~U specif- iG~ily studied in this report heve been in~nd~ted by floods of the past, and even lerger at~~s ~CYld be in~ndated ~y the po_ tentially greater fLood. of the future. There ~re no str~~~flow ~~cords ~n ~ild H~rs8-Dry Creek, Dry Creek, and Goodnight Arroye. Kistcric~l docum~nt5 ~nd newspape. files h~ve been searohed for inforrn~tion concern_ ins past floods, From thesa investigations and studies ofpos_ sible future rrood~, the local flood aituetiorl h~~ ~,,~n Jevel- op,<..I rOl' lh8 s~edri""J ~~t~,.,,~y~. ,h~ follow'''y p"r>>gt",,,hs . . . HISTORICAL FLOODS occurring in the gener~l Pueblo region h~ve been reportad with reasonabla occur~cy since the mid~1800's. Puablo floode whioh primarily involved the Arkonso~ River ~nd. most prob_ ably, simultaneou~ flooding on the study tribut~rieB wera recorded in 1864, 1894, i921, and 1935. Reliable infor~ation of other demaging floo~s that have occurred has been lost in the obecurity of time. Exc8pt for the urb~n flood pl~in encroachment existing on Wild Horae_Dry Creek ne~r its mouth on the Arkan8aB River, development h6s begun only recantiy in ths flood plain areaS ~on- Bidered in the report. Ae a result, definitive racords of past floods ora extremely meager for the th~ee tribut~ry drain~ge" ~ild Horse_Dry Creek, Dry Creek, end Goodnight Arroyo. . . . INTERMEDIATE REGIONAL FLOODS ~ra floods that heve an av~rage fre- quency of OCCutrence in ths order of once in 100 years. They are dete~mined from analyses of past floods that heve ocourred on the subject tributaries end other 6treams in the general area. . . . STANDARD PRDJECT fLOODS a~e floods ~hich would bs e~oae~ed only on rera occasions ~nd are reaeon~bly oh~recteristic of the geogr~ph_ ic~l ~rea in whi~h the drainage basin is located. in many ~nstan~es, they may define the upper ii~it of flooding egainst which protec- tion may be sought. The Standard Project floud would aver~ge less tMen 1 foot higher than the Intermediate Regional Flood along most of Dry Creek and Goodnight Ar~oyo. On wild Horss-Dry Creek, the comparable heig~t difference would ~verage between 4 and 5 feet, . . . 1 FLOOODAMAGE5reeultingfromeithertheIntermediateReqional Flood or th$ Standard Project flood would be more e~teneive th~n from p~et floods beceuse of incre~sed development in the flooc pl~in, and the ..ide~ e~tent, greater depths, and higher veloci_ ties of flood "atera. . . . 2