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<br />E62
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<br />FLOODS OF 1'965 IN THE UNITED STATES
<br />
<br />SUMMARY OF FLOODS
<br />
<br />E63
<br />
<br />".
<br />
<br />
<br />102"
<br />
<br />1010
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<br />Extensive road damage and erosion occurred during the flood run-
<br />off. Damage to county road bridges was estimated at $27,000 and, in ad-
<br />dition, several drainage structures on Interstate Highway 94 were
<br />severely damaged. The Soil Conservation Service estimated $60,000
<br />loss of crops and livestock. Two persons were drowned by a sudden
<br />surge of water in an unnamed coulee. .
<br />One determinatoon of peak flow, a slope-area measurement at "
<br />bridge on Interstate Highway 94, 8 miles east of Glendive, was made
<br />in the flood area. The peak discharge of 14,600 ds(942 ds per sq mi in
<br />a drainage are!l. of 15.5 sq mi) greatly exceeds any previously known
<br />flood in this area. The previous maximum discharge at the measure-
<br />ment site during the period of record (1955-65) was 157 ds. It is be-
<br />lieved that the discharge per square mile from a large part of Box
<br />Elder Creek drainage was equally as great_
<br />The magnitude of this flood is indicated by accretion of flow in the
<br />Yellowstone River, From June 15 to June 16, the daily mean discharge
<br />of .the Yellowstone River at Sidney, 50 miles northeast of Glendive, in-
<br />cre_d more than 28,000 ds, A study of weather records and tributary
<br />inflow indicates this rise was largely due to flows contributed from the
<br />Glendive flood area, The unusually high peak discharge at the site of
<br />the slope-area measurement is apparent when it is compared with the
<br />50-year flood, which is 1,100 ds (Patterson, 1968).
<br />
<br />FLOODS OF JUNE IN THE SOUTH PLA'ITE RIVER BASIN, COLORADO
<br />
<br />Heavy, intense rains in three areas on 3 different days caused out-
<br />standing floods on many streams in the South Platte River basin from
<br />Plum Creek, just south of Denver, all the way downstream to the
<br />Colorado-Nebraska State line (fig, 27). The flood-producing storms
<br />followed a relll;tively wet period, and rainfall up to 14 inches in a few
<br />hours was reported, The storms occurred over the Greeley-Sterling
<br />area on June 14--15, over the Plum and Cherry Creek basins on June 16,
<br />and over the headwaters of Kiowa and Bijou Creeks on June 17 after
<br />heavy rains on June 15. The flood crest did not pass Julesburg, in the
<br />northeast corner of Colorado, until June 20,
<br />Previous record high discharges on many tributaries having drainage
<br />arell$ on the plains were exceeded; sometimes several fold. The six prin-
<br />cipal tributaries carrying snowmelt runoff were contributing but not
<br />significant factors in the causes of the floods. The attenUJl,tion of the
<br />peak flow by channel storage as the flood passed through Denver was
<br />considerable, yet the peak discharge of 40,300 cfs of the South Platte
<br />River at Denver was 1.8 times the previously recorded maximum or
<br />22,000 ds in a period of record that started in 1889. The 1965 peak
<br />would have been higher except that all flow from Cherry Creek was
<br />stored in Cherry Creek Reservoir.
<br />
<br />_---}ii-
<br />1.forth
<br />Platte
<br />
<br />40.
<br />
<br />.,
<br />-KANsls-
<br />
<br />39.
<br />
<br />25 0
<br />I. .1
<br />
<br />25
<br />I
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<br />50MILES
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<br />FrGUXE 27.-Flood area in June in the South Platte River basin, Colorado.
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<br />Six persons were drowned, 'and two other deaths were attributed to
<br />the storms. The total damage amounted to $508_2 million, of which'
<br />about 75 percent occurred in the Denver metropolitan area.
<br />These floods are described in detail by Matthai (1969). The report
<br />contains descriptions of the storms and floods, detailed streamflow rec,
<br />ords.at 50 sites, and information on damages, flood profiles, inundated
<br />areas, and flood frequency. Several comparisons of the magnitude of
<br />the flood are made, and ..ll indi""te that an outstanding hydrologic
<br />event occurred.
<br />
<br />FLOODS OF JUNE IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN, COLORADO,
<br />KANSAS, AND NEW MEXICO
<br />
<br />Major floods occurred June 16-18 on the ArkanSlts River and its
<br />principal tributaries from Pueblo, Colo., to Great Bend, Kans, and on
<br />the Canadian River in New Mexico (fig. 28). The floods were ""used
<br />by torrential rains on June 14-18 which followed a relatively wet
<br />period. The greatest 24-hour total rainfalls at Weather Bureau sta-
<br />tions were 11.08 inches at Holly, Colo., and 5.60 inches at Raton,
<br />N. Mex_ Peak disclutrges at many tributary gttging stations exceeded
<br />the previous maximums in their periods or record. However, on the
<br />main stem of the Arkansas River, the floods of 1921 remain the maxi-
<br />mum of record, It was estimated that 428,460 acres of land was flooded
<br />in the Arkansas River basin in Colorado and Kansas and that the
<br />damage was $57,283,000. The most severely damaged area was in Pro.
<br />wers County, in southeastern Colorado, where 31,500 acres of land
<br />along the ArkanSlts River, including the urban areas of Lamar,
<br />Granada, and Holly, was flooded, and damage amounted to $18,431,000.
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