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<br />PASTFLOOOS
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<br />flood wate,s fron ~,ibutariBS and different location of ~tor~
<br />
<br />Suur~~~ uf [ldta a~d Ro~o~~s
<br />S~ream stage and disch~rge records indic~~ing
<br />pote~tiat are f~og~enta,y and g~n8,ally li~itBd to random
<br />~ents taken at the time of large flood occurrences. Fro~
<br />
<br />~ent~,s. Flood~ observed ~t FOuntain often Lo~trast in magnitu~8
<br />Pro~ thos~ at C~loradQ Sprin~".
<br />
<br />flood
<br />
<br />me~.ure~
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<br />S,_,c"tnarvcfKistorioalrloorls
<br />As dlsclonad in e~rly-day newspaper files, the flood
<br />of June 10, la64.~Q~ly five years after the founding of Colorado
<br />City (now the wast part of Colorado Spri~g9}..rnarked the b8gi~~ing
<br />of Colorado Springe' flood history. News accounts of aree flooding
<br />in oub5~quent years are profuse in describing effeot" th~t were
<br />me~ningful to local residents at the time of publication, but thay
<br />rar~ly discuss da~age" or a particular stream in sufficient detail
<br />to enable v~lid m~gnitude determinations. Accordingly, Table 2
<br />lists the highest ten fount~in Creek floods known to have caused
<br />damage, and relative sizs comparisons ere not attempted. On the
<br />basis of available peak discharge dats alone, tho floods of 1864.
<br />IB86. and 1935 would bs classed as major in destructive capability.
<br />The May 1935 flood was the highest of reco~d at Colorado Sp~inys,
<br />also attaining the unenviable diotinction of being tho most devac-
<br />tating flood in thA city's history. It exists ao tho flood of
<br />record for fountain Creek downstream possibly to Jim~.y Camp C~esk
<br />at Fountain. Colorado. B810w Jimmy Camp C",."k conflueno~. the June
<br />1965 flood prob~bly exceeded all kno~n floods to the El Paso county
<br />11"...
<br />
<br />llIa~Gh 1940
<br />
<br />through August 1952, 0 recording gage was maintained on fountein
<br />C~eek belo~ thB mou~h of Little fountoin C~eek. A .tream gaging
<br />station eatebliehed in Dctober 1964 now ope~atee at the Carson
<br />80ulevard bridge, and ~noth~r, operational since 1968, ia located
<br />upst~som nsar th8 woste~n limits of Colorado Sp~ings. flow reco~ds
<br />from these station8 are inadaquote to defin8 hydrologic conditions
<br />for th8 study reaches considered in this ~eport.
<br />Higto~icol docum8nts, nswspaper files, publications of
<br />the U.S. Geologicel Su~vey, and Colorado ~ater Reco~ds ~e~e sOurces
<br />of info~~~tion r8garding p~ot floods. Th8 flood profiles and flooded
<br />arR~S mapa ~e~e developed from this materisl. along with the results
<br />of prRvious $oudie5, fiold inve5tigation5, ~nd office c~~putations.
<br />
<br />nooe! S8ason and f.~ood CharoGteristic~
<br /> ~oet " ,", Hood p~od"cing etormo ovo~ ,", fountain
<br />Cr"ok ~ahr~hed occur during eo, eummer months f~om ", tnrough
<br />
<br />Auguat. During this period, mos~UG of ~arm, moiot oi~ f.om the
<br />Culf of ~e~ico and cold, comparatively dry air fro~ the pola~ regions
<br />combine ove. the hi9he~ land a~aae to ceu~~ increased thundorotor~
<br />acti~ity. The seve~e.t starm. aften generate 1n th~ tranai~ional
<br />perioos of late 8p~ing and sarly f~11 ~hen polQr air intrusions arB
<br />most inten.i~n. lsohted s,,"'rT'~r thunderstorms are f~equently .e~er8
<br />but limited in ~,'~~l ""tent. Available r8cords indicaf,~ th"t snow-
<br />m~lt has s8ldom cont~ibuted significantly to flood occurrences on
<br />Fountain ::rsd;.. r:ood~ in ~11D ",ate~.h8d ,~p chan"t,prized by f\i"h
<br />peak fla~'s, rT'oderate volur'e~. "nd shQrt d~rationa. The ,"ognitoJde of
<br />flooda "an cnange ,adically downstream from Colorado Springe due to
<br />
<br />The J1m",y Camp C~e8k flood, "t a point 4~ mil8S "bo~e
<br />its conf1uanca dth rount"in C[,,~k, waS estimated to be 124,000
<br />cubic f~et per second (c.f.s.) or 2,284 c.f.s. per squ~~. mile of
<br />w~te~shed. Thi~ is the largest kno~~ flood in the State of Coloredo
<br />for co~parable d.alnage areas.
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