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<br />0.7%. The banks are lined with cottonwood trees and thick stands of willows and <br />other brush, but the main channel is fairly uniform and free from natural <br />obstructions. <br /> <br />HISroRIC fL()X:S <br /> <br />Within the tCMll, Parachute Creek is confined in a dlannel '..mich has been <br />altered by human activities through the years. There are five bridges in the <br />study reach of Parachute Creek: County ROad, t..'"Ie Denver and Rio Grande (D&ElG) <br />Railroad, two bridges for Interstate Highway 70, and a bridge for U.S. Highway <br />6. None of the bridges has piers. <br /> <br />Most floods on Parachute Creek are caused by rapid sn~lt from <br />mauntainous regions of the upper Parachute Creek basin ciJring late May to early <br />July. There is also potential for floods resulting from rainfall occurring On <br />top of molting snON as well as from Slllm'er thunderstorms. Sno.rmelt floods are <br />characteri~ed by moderate peaks, large volumes of runoff and long durations <br />Io'hereas floods from sumrrer thunderstorms have larger peaks b.lt SJlI;lller vol~s <br />and shorter durations. <br /> <br />Between the Colorooo River and the O&RG Railroad, the channel rreanders <br />through agricultural and industrial tracts whiCh have some residential arc~~ <br />interspersed. Between the railroad and the westbound lanes of Interstate <br />Highway 70 (1-70l, the channel is straight and relatively deep. The railroad <br />bridge constitutes theprimaty p::>tential obstruction to flo<Xl flONS in this <br />reach. <br /> <br />Lictod in Table 1 are floods of record on Parachute Creek. <br /> <br />TABLE I <br /> <br />DaC, <br /> <br />Oischarqe, (cfs) <br /> <br />Upstream of 1-70, the channel is confined betw~en residential areas and a <br />commercial strip along U. S. Highway 6. The strca~ w~s ~~anneli~ed a5 the town <br />grew Llp on its banks. Within this reach the U. S. Highway 6 bridge is the Jll)st <br />significant hydraulic obstruction. O~rflow of the creek from a SOn-year flood <br />would subject the m:lin tuain05s sector of tC1.\fl1 to floodwaters which can onlv be <br />directed back to the rruinchannel by the high."'ay i1nd rai.lroaderrbankrrents. <br />Water Io'hich flows over the railroad embankment will not r~nter Parachute Creek <br />but will flow in a southerly airection to the Colorado River. <br /> <br />May18,1979 <br />Aug. 19, 1977 <br />July 31, 1976 <br />"IayS,1952 <br />May 20, 1922 <br /> <br />944 <br />2,310 <br />2.600 <br />912 <br />'" <br /> <br />Source: ref. 2. <br /> <br />The Colorado River is a braided river subject to flm flows of relatively <br />long duration am large vol\.llIC resulting fran melting snON. 'me study reach of <br />the CClor~o Ri"lcr '",ithb the T;)I,')", is app!o;;irr...tely 2 "h.",.," milo,,, in length and <br />slopes at an averilge 0.19 percent. The fl<.>odplainlTl':'andersalong the sO'.lthern <br />boundary of t.."'" TQWn ,u-.:J ~eiicll"'s u" to about 1/2 mile in width in certain areas. <br />Portions of the overbank areas are used for 'lravelmining. Thesouthbankot <br />the river rises ste"'91y and foe11'S a sUhstantial barrier for flood flows, while <br />tIle north bank rises [()[e gently and 6<lbjects portions of the Tcwn to peri.odic <br />inundation. ~ere is one bridge O\~r the Color~ Ri~r in the studt ~ecch, <br />rl$Ely the "K~ access road to Battlerrent Mesa. <br />, <br /> <br />There h<lve undoobtedly I::een floods of greater nngnitooe on Parachute Creek, <br />but L~ere are limited recorded accounts of dates, flood magnitudes or extent of <br />damages. <br /> <br />There have ~en recording gages in operation on the Colorado River since <br />the early part of the century near Glenwood S~rinqs and further downstream near <br />Plateau Creek. However, accounts ot floods on t..~e Colorado River near Parachute <br />are not availcl:lle. <br /> <br />, <br />