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<br />5,0 Flood Problems
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<br />The residential and commercial areas in Pier'ce have bElen
<br />flooded many times, Documentation of historic floods ~nd
<br />damage estimates for Spring Creek date back to 1917. Based on
<br />interviews with citizens of the Town, it hdS been determined
<br />that Pierce has experienced many flood events, Floods have
<br />occurred in 1917, 1933, 1935, 1938, 1951, 1954, 1961, 1965,
<br />1972, 1974, 1977, 1987, and 1988, In 1935, 1965, 1972, 1987
<br />and 1988 floodwdters topped Rowe Avenue 9nd U,S. Highw9Y 8S,
<br />then continued onward to flood areas west of U,S, Highway 85
<br />dnd are9S as far dS 0,5 mile e9st of the highway, Past floods
<br />have caused erosion of the town streets, flooding of structures
<br />and basements, damage to the pierce wdter system and grain
<br />elevator and clogging of the pierce lateral Canal and
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<br />irrigation ditches with sediment.
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<br />In the more recent floods of
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<br />August 11,1987 and June 25,1988, much of the Town was
<br />inundated by floodw9ter. These floods were the result of
<br />intense thunderstorms in the upper basir,
<br />
<br />In the August II, 1987 flood, forty-four residences and
<br />businesses and thirty-seven mobile homes were inundated. This
<br />flood occurred as result of a five-inch rainfall west of Nunn,
<br />Colorado - See figures 2 and 3, In the June 25, 1988 flood,
<br />thir.ty-six r'esidences, one school, and On(2 bus:i.ness Wel"e
<br />,
<br />inundated, This flood occurred as the result of a three-four
<br />
<br />,
<br />inch rdinfall from a thunderstorm west of Nunn.
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<br />These floods
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<br />generally occur in the early evening with approximately one
<br />hour of warning time for the Town from upstream reporters.
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<br />Many property owners who are located east of U,S, Highway
<br />
<br />
<br />85 have implemented individu~l flood protection measures,
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<br />
<br />These measures consist of wooden and metal fences, concrete
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<br />curbs, window and door closures, dirt emb~nkments, 9nd elevated
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<br />
<br />structures. All of these protections offE'r' somewha': less than
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<br />-3-
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