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<br />CHAPTER III <br /> <br />ground along i~s oourse through the oity proper. A nurnher of pictures <br />are presented at the end of this ohapter and in Plate 13 depicting the <br />existing ohannel condition of Coal Creek through the town of Cre~ted <br />Butte. <br /> <br />FLOODING PROBLEMS <br /> <br />History of Flooding <br /> <br />The history of fl~oding in and ar~und Coal Creek i5 not dooumented <br />properly. Ihe town was settled in the 1880'". and th(> oreek ohannel WHA <br />diverted from its natural oourse along the bH~e of Gibson's Ridge to its <br />exiating looation through the town of Cre~ted Butte peoper. <br /> <br />Stream flow reoords available for Coal Creek inolude the period <br />1942-1946. These reoords were measured at a looation upstream from <br />Crested Butte commanding a drainage area of approxi~tely 8.S square <br />miles. The annual pe~k floods for this 5-year period ranged from 187 <br />ofs in 1944 to 246 ofs in 1945. <br /> <br />Senior citizens remember instanoes when the creek overfl~ed ita <br /> <br />bank$. No magnitude of flows or dates are available for suoh events. In <br />1973, the melting sno,",s increased thevolurne of water in the oreeltto <br /> <br />the limits of the ohannel without oausing any overtopping. <br />from June 11 th,uugh June 18, Coal Creek fl~B ran dt flood <br /> <br />[n197S. <br />~t'''F\~_. A <br /> <br />flood alert was issued and remained ill effect fur "I'I'H'''i",,,tcly 0"" <br />month. Emergency action was required to protect tho t~~ from possible <br />flooding. Sandbugging was instituted at most of th" town bridges oross- <br />ing the creek, as well as at low pOints along the channel banks. <br /> <br />Causes of Flooding rroblems <br /> <br />Potential for flooding damages in the town of Crested Butte arc <br /> <br />""l(~Ol"ly ;"1\1,. .1,." l'uL""Liai b caused by severai d:t.iferent reasons. <br /> <br />A\lIong the primary caus"s ate: In1ld"qu"te ~hannel oapaoitios provided to <br />bypas~ the major storm fl~s, absenoe of regular maintenanoe work to <br />keep the channel conveyance oh"raoteristios high and In stable ~ondf- <br />tfons. imprep"r hydraulio design of brl,lge openings, "onstrictions jn <br />th~ chann..l du.. to ..noro"~hm~nt of property impr<;>voments, and the <br />existing oreel< ohannd cnmm,mdlng hlgh"r elevation than th.. surr",,,\dinl'; <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />, <br />