FLOOD04656

• County: Statewide
• Community: United States
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Summary of Floods in the United States During 1965
• Date: 1/1/1970
• Prepared For: US Department of the Interior
• Prepared By: Federal, State, and Local Agencies
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

E34 FLOODS OF 1965 IN THE UNITED STATES

.
TABLE 12.-Fwod stages and diacharges in the Big Blue River basin M :-,:,
sQUtkeastern Nebraska ' ay_

Muimnm Boods

No.

Stream and place of
determination

Drainage
"""
(sqm1)

(G'"
May height
19M (teet)

Known before
May 1965
Period Year

1 Little Blue River below
Pawnee Creek: near
Paulino,
2 Llttle Blue River near
Deweese.
3 Little Blue River near
Angus,

881 1962-& 1963 _Onm... . 100as
un......__....... 22 13.88
979 1951-65 1951 mmn.. H.9
._.n.....w........ 22 1S.99
1,038 1958--65 1960 mmom 16.91
____.___..__....... 22 17.20

1 Ratio of peak d1scharge to 5O-year flood.

c.

FLOODS OF MAY 30-31 IN THE VICINITY OF CARLSBAD, N, ,<"

.After RALFH W. CLEMENT (1967) ,~
The floods of May 30-31 in the vicinity of Carlsbad, N. Me~
caused by a storm system of several high-intensity thundersto ". ,
storm area extended from the Texas-New Mexico border north'
the South Seven Rivers (fig. 16), Rain began at about 1400 b.~'
May 30 and lasted into the early evening. The most intense it;""
occurred between 1500 and 1700 hours during which time 2.14.'
was recorded at Carlsbad. The Howell Ranch in the Sout};:"
Rivers basin reported 2,8 incl1es in a 1-hour period. About 3.41
fell in 1 hour at Carlsbad Caverns. Amounts greater than 4 inch >t'
recorded at several points north of Carlsbad Caverns west of;' ,
bad, and along the South Seven Rivers. The rainfall p~ttern of'"
16 was derived from precipitation data obtained from the vi'
Bureau and from a bucket survey conducted by the Soil Conseti .
Service. . '. t
. .. ""j"(
Floodmg m the Carl.bad area was confined to the tribute' ,
of the Pecos River. The northern boundary of the flood area ;:
north divide of the South Seven Rivers basin. .if'. ..
The peak discharge (table 13) on South Seven Rivers neaf
wood (ste. 2) was 25,500 cis while in the adjoining hasin 0{i;h6.
Seven Rivers there was no flow. The main stem of the Peco; .
easily handl~d the flow, and the maximum recurrence interval ';'1.
flow at any point on the Pecos River was 8 'years_ Flooding on
South Seven Rivers was severe, and the peak discharge near LakeW~
(sta.2) was only slightly less than the previous maximum in 25 Y
of record, 30,000 cfs in 1954. Agricultural damage along the':S\,!
Seven Rivers was estimated at $18,000. .:tl;l.
Rocky Arroyo probably had the least flooding of any main tin)
tary in the flood area north of the Delaware River. The peak discllli...
(9,700 cis) of Rocky Arroyo near Carlsbad (sta. 3) was the fo ^'

'f
'I
:"
'I
!~
'j
1'.1
'j
l"
1'[

s~y OF FLOODS

E35

104"30'

104"00'

,2'
,0'

EXPLANATION

D
~-

M

R;:IH/'r'

.5
Flood-detennination pQint
N1t..w.r~to
tMtifltab~ 13

"....

_2_
Isohyet. in inc.hes

00'

5 0
I.. ,

10

15 MILES
,

FrGu:BE 16.-"U)caJtion of ftood-determination points and isohyets for May 30, :flood
of :May 30-31 in the vicinity of Carlsbad. N. Mex.

highest during a period of reo::ord beginning in 1916 an~ was the great-
est since 1958, but it was conSiderably less than the maxunum of record
of 63 300 cfs in 1954.
The worst flooding occurred in the tributaries south of Carlsbad,
and that along Cass Draw was the most severe in the area. The peak
discharge 'of Cass Draw (sta. 11) and of Elbow Canyon (sta. 12) ex-
ceeded that for 50-year floods. The combined flow from both. of ~he
Streams destroyed a part of the main canal of the Carlsbad IrrigatIOn
'District and caused damage estimated at $31,000. The floodwaters from
. Oass Draw spread out over the flat area between the "."nal an.d the
Pecos River and entered the river through several draJIlage dItches
and small washes.

381'.840 0-'1'0-8