FLOOD03682

• Designation Number: 125
• County: Rio Blanco
• Community: Meeker
• Stream Name: White River, Sulphur Creek
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Title: Floodplain Information Report - White River, Sulphur Creek and Sanderson Heights Drainageway
• Date: 6/1/1978
• Designation Date: 1/1/1979
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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High water on the White River also results from ice jams. One local woman, who

has lived in Meeker since 1945, recalls an ice jam in the winter of 1951 or 52 which

threatened to flood portions of the Rustic Motel, where she lived at that time, and other

residences along Water Street. However, before the flooding actually occurred, she said

the ice jam was dynamited and the waters subsided. An ice jam during the winter of 1973

necessitated sand bagging the dike around the sewage treatment plant to keep floodwaters

from overflowing the treatment facility. Photographs of the ice jam and captions which

appeared in the February I, 1973, edition of the Meeker Herald are shown in figures 5 and

6. One longtime Meeker resident said that ice jams which did form during winter months

were routinely dynamited without complication and that there were really no floods on the

White River that he could recall where the water rose above Water Street.

A more serious flooding problem exists on Sulphur Creek, however, which has

overflowed its banks several times from cloudbursts. Sulphur Creek flowed diagonally

through the town before it was realigned along Second Street in the early 1900's between

the levees that now confine it, and it is normally dry with flow occurring only after

periods of excess precipitation. Because the town has no storm drainage facilities, except

for the town ditch which traverses the northern half of Meeker and intercepts some runoff

originating above it, storm water from Sulphur Creek and Sanderson Heights has always

flowed through Meeker following the path of least resistance. Typical results are

inundated gardens, flooded basements, clogged sewers, and damage to surrounding fields

from excess mud and water. Although Sulphur Creek did not overflow its banks during the
storm of July 18, 1976, the shallow flooding which occurred in Meeker following that
intense storm is typical of historic flooding problems experienced by the town. The

following newspaper accounts describe flooding problems associated with Sulphur Creek.

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Figure 5 - "In immediate danger due to the rising ice, is the recently constructed bridge
down at the city park. The ice has been steadily creeping up and in spots, only a few
inches of daylight separate the bridge from the ice flow. City officials know of no way to
save the bridge if the ice continues to climb." (Meeker Herald, 2-1-73.)

Figure 6 - "If you can spot the mobile homes in the background, you can see how close the
icy White River is to them. The water started flowing out of it's banks last week due to
the ice jam which extends almost to Green River, Utah. Most of the water if flowing
under an overflow culvert north of the Silver bridge with efforts being made to keep this
from freezing up with the slush ice. The Army Corps of Engineers came to town
Wednesday to see if they could do something to help the town out." (Meeker Herald, 2-1-
73.)