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<br />2.0 AREA STUDIED <br /> <br />2.1 Scope of Study <br /> <br />This Flood Insurance Study covers the incorporated area of the <br />City of Wiggins, Morgan County, Colorado. The area of study is <br />shown on the Vicinity Map (Figure 1). <br /> <br />Floods caused by the overflow of Kiowa Creek were studied in <br />detail~ Kiowa Creek is the only flooding source for the City of <br />Wiggins. <br /> <br />Those areas studied by detailed methods were chosen with consideration <br />given to all forecasted development and proposed construction <br />through 1982. <br /> <br />2.2 Community Description <br /> <br />The City of Wiggins is located in the western part of Morgan <br />County in northeastern Colorado, approximately 59 miles northeast <br />of Denver and 15 miles west of Fort Morgan. There are no communities <br />adjacent to Wiggins. The population of Wiggins in 1975 was 530 <br />(Reference 1). <br /> <br />The flood plain development in Wiggins is primarily commercial <br />and residential. Most new development is taking place on the <br />higher ground in the eastern part of the community, although many <br />businesses which already exist in the flood plain have expanded <br />their physical plants. <br /> <br />Kiowa Creek flows northward through a wide, flat flood plain west <br />of Wiggins. Most of the drainage basin is covered with well- <br />drained, sandy soil. The vegetative cover is sparse, and consists <br />of a few areas of irrigated crops and large areas of rangeland <br />that are generally covered with short prairie grass (References 2 <br />and 3). <br /> <br />The climate in Wiggins is typical of the plains region east of <br />the Rocky Mountains. The mean annual temperature is 490F, with <br />the warmest month being July (740F) and the coldest month being <br />January (24.30F). The average annual precipitation in Wiggins is <br />13.2 inches (Reference 4). <br /> <br />2.3 Principal Flood Problems <br /> <br />Two recorded floods from Kiowa Creek did damage to the City of <br />Wiggins. These floods occurred in June 1935 and May 1973 (Refer- <br />ence 5). On Main Street, south of the Burlington Northern Railroad <br />tracks, the 1935 flood reached a depth of 53 inches and the 1973 <br />flood reached a depth of 41 inches. These flood depths were <br />aggravated by the railroad tracks running through the City which <br />acted as a dam once the water overran the bank. The 1935 flood <br />is equivalent to the 100-year event analyzed in this study. <br />Figures 2 through 5 show scenes of the 1973 flood in Wiggins. <br />