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<br />A prominent college in Gunnison, Colorado, lE h~.J_~ i. State <br />College, wi th an enrollment of nearly 2,300 students. Retail <br />trade and services, including most of the tourist-related <br />services, provide the largest number of jobs in the area. Agri- <br />cultural employment is on the decline, with mining limited to a <br />few small operations, and the tourist industry expected to grow. <br /> <br />A number of irrigation ditches convey water across natural drain- <br />age boundaries into adjacent bas ins. The Larkspur Di tch conveys <br />water from the headwaters of the Tomichi Creek in the Colorado <br />River Basin across the Continental Divide at Marshall Pass and <br />into the Poncha Creek Basin. <br /> <br />According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, <br />Gunnison County increased from 5,477 in 1960 <br />with the Crested Butte division experiencing <br />(Reference 3). <br /> <br />the population of <br />to 10,689 in 1980 <br />the largest growth <br /> <br />2.3 Principal Flood Problems <br /> <br />While slopes are steeper in the uoper drainage basins, the dense <br />vegetation in these areas serves to reduce rainfall runoff. A <br />greater percentage of runoff is permitted by the sparse vegetation <br />of the foothills and pastureland at the lower elevations. Conse- <br />quently, the majority of the flood problems in the study area are <br />caused by rapid snowmelt. This type of flooding has a long dura- <br />tion runoff, which results in a continuous rise in water level. <br /> <br />Flood potential also exists from long- and short-duration rain- <br />storms. Floods from short-duration rainstorms are characterized <br />by high peaks and small volumes. The potential for the most <br />severe flooding is created by the combination of rapid snowmel t <br />with long-duration rainfall. <br /> <br />Flooding also occurs during the winter months from ice jamming. <br />This is confined to the northwestern area of the county. <br /> <br />Detailed information on floods before the turn of the century 1S <br />very limited. Information on historical flooding is based on <br />newspaper accounts and interviews with longtime residents of the <br />area. Generally, high flows are contained in-channel, and exten- <br />sive overbank flooding is infrequent. Large floods occurred in <br />Gunnison on the Gunnison River in 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1957, <br />1984, and 1985. These floods have caused major damage by disrupt- <br />ing highway and railroad traffic and communication services, <br />drowning livestock, and destroying agricultural lands, roads, <br />bridges, and buildings. <br /> <br />5 <br />