FLOOD04873

• Designation Number: 359
• County: Archuleta
• Community: Pagosa Springs
• Stream Name: San Juan River and McCabe Creek
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Title: Flood Hazard Analysis - San Juan River and McCabe Creek in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs, Archuleta County, Colorado
• Date: 9/1/1977
• Designation Date: 5/1/1994
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

s.

Implement floodway maintenance program to remove debris and

repair damaged, channels.

An "Emergency Evacuation and Operation Plan" should be developed by

Pagosa Springs and Archuleta County. Implementation of this plan would

provide for,alerting the public of potential flooding and coordinating

community and county services during an emergency.

6.

Conduct a feasibility study for structural flood control
measures on McCabe Creek and Its tributaries'.

7. Implement remedial measures to protect the banks of sewage

lagoons from erosion and potential destruction by flood flows.

Plan implementation during the time of an emergency requires cooperation

of the general public as well as local officials. This is especially

important for flood fighting, evacuation, and rescue operations. Too

often, an uninformed public becomes a detriment to emergency operations.

It is recommended that public information and education program on

"Flood Hazards" be disseminated through the news media and be a part of

the total community effort towards lessening the losses caused by
flooding.

potential flood damages to existing developments and possible loss of

life can be alleviated or lessened through several nonstructural and

structural methods. Nonstructural methods include: flood warning and

forecasting systems, flood fighting, and emergency evacuation.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through its
National Weather Service (NWS) , maintains year-around surveillance of
weather and flood conditions. Daily weather forecasts are issued
through the NWS and disseminated by the local news media. A general
alert to the danger of flash floOding is one of the services provided by
the National Weather Service.

Portions of the flood hazard area could be protected by structures '
including: floodwater retarding structures, streambank stabilization,

floodways, and storm drains. Implementing structural protection requires

detailed engineering and feasibility studies, funding arrangements, and

agreed upon actions by governing bodies.

Forecasts of snowmelt runoff for the San Juan River are made by the Soil
Conservation Service. Streamflow forecasting is based on several factors
including precipitation, water content in the mountain snowpack, and
soil moisture conditions on the watershed. The forecasts are made

primarily for estimating water supply for irrigation, industrial,

municipal and other uses; however, the data is also used to indicate

potential flooding from snowmelt runoff.

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