FLOOD04928

• County: Denver
• County: Jefferson
• Community: Denver, Edgewater, Lakewood, Wheatridge
• Stream Name: Sloans Lake Basin
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Major Drainageway Planning
• Date: 12/1/1977
• Prepared For: Denver / Lakewood
• Prepared By: UDFCD
• Contract/PO #: &&
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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Sub-basin A, consisting primarily of the Colfax Avenue/Federal Boule-

vard Interchange, has several characteristics which, when combined,

makes this area rather unique. This sub-basin has no well defined

surface drainageway, receives contributory storm water flows from

Sub-basins Al ,.A2 and A3, and has no single point of concentration

for either local runoff or contributory flows. Both Sub-basin A and

Al contribute storm water runoff to the adjacent lakewood Gulch major

drainage basin as diverted flows.

cantrall ing downstream flows that otherwise would be allowed to run
uninhibited through west Denver.

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The entire Basin is approximately 4.7 miles in length and 1.4 miles

in width. The average slope for the entire basin is about l.6 per cent,

with ground elevations ranging from 5,585 at the western edge of the

basin to 5,190 at the bank of the South Platte River. The slope of the

upper basin generally west of Sheridan Boulevard is approximately one

per cent, while the lower portion of the basin west of Federal Boulevard,

which encompasses Sloans lake, has an average slope of 0.2 per cent.

In contrast, the average slope for the direct flow Sub-basin A4 extend-

ing from Federal Boulevard to the South Platte River in Denver has an

average slope of 3 per cent.

Another geographic feature within the basin is the Rocky Mountain

Ditch, an open channel irrigation ditch extending through the study

area from Morse Park at 20th Avenue to 32nd Avenue along Wadsworth

Boulevard. This facil ity suppl ies water to Sloans lake during the

summertime through an 18-inch clay diversion pipe inletting at 32nd

Avenue and Marshall Street and discharging into a storm sewer at 26th

Avenue and Gray Street, which outlets into the lake. This irrigation

ditch also serves as a storm water drainage facility for the western-

most portion of the basin with several storm sewer inlets draining

into it.

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The most prominent geographic feature within the basin is Sloans lake.

History relates that the lake waS formed in about 1866 when a home-

steader, Thomas M. Sloan, while drilling a well to obtain irrigation

water, struck an underground spring which in a period of three or four

days flooded the valley on his farm and formed two large lakes--Sloans

and Cooper. later the two lakes were joined by canals at the present

site of Duck Island and over a period of years both lakes became known

as just "Sloans lake".

Other notable physical and geographic features associated with the

Sloans lake Basin include:

1. South Platte River located at the mouth of the basin;

2. Interstate 25 located on the eastern boundary of the
bas in;

3. McNichols Sports Arena and Mile High Stadium located in
the Denver direct flow sub-basin;

4. Crown Hill lake and Cemetery located on the northwest
corner of the basin between lakewood and Wheat Ridge.

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GEOLOGY

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The substructure of the Sloans lake Basin consists generally of two

types of geologic formations: a combination of Post Piney Creek

alluvium and Piney Creek alluvium, and loess material.

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The lake, which now occupies 176.5 acres of a 290-acre Denver Park,

has been and continues to be a valuable recreational resource for the

metropol itan area. In addition to its scenic and recreational signi-

ficance, the lake provides the valuable function of regulating and

The Post Piney Creek alluvium and Piney Creek alluvium deposits,

located primarily in the central portion of the basin around Sloans

lake, range from 0 to 60 feet thick; however, most commonly found

to be from 5 to 10 feet thick. The material is a mixture of sand,

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