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<br />BZ2
<br />
<br />FLOODS OF 1965 I:.T THE. V~ITED ~.TATES
<br />
<br />BI)':(
<br />SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN, COLORADO, JUNE 1965 -v
<br />
<br />The reC'Ol'd nt Balzac shows the three crests-on ~Tune 16, is, and 20
<br />(fi(r. 8). The peak discharge on .Julle 18 was l~;)~OO() l'~S ~\lld was four
<br />til';es the maximum daily ditil'harge of 31~200 cfs whIch occurred on
<br />
<br />.J une 11,1921. " ,
<br />The record at .TulC'sbul'!! is incomplete: t!wl'efore the elltlre. pattell1
<br />or the fioodfiow is not. kn~)\\'Il, out tlll.~ PC'Ii-.. di::.-dl[lrge. \\"fL3 ;;7~GO~ Cf3.
<br />Only one cn'st was recorded .\t J)oth Paxton :lnd Sorth Platte, ~ebr.,
<br />1" I ... '.', qco' I ,),) ,100 ,[- l'e-pectlwk
<br />where the pCil.k l l:-:C l:tl'gl':-; \\("JC 0)0)," I ,lIH --~-- \. ..: -. '.
<br />
<br />to wash the grass out of the ~l1lall lo\\"-wat~l' ehallllt'l. Thi~ lwak l'P-
<br />duction is diametrically opposed to what occurred Oil BijOll Creek,
<br />where the combined f10\\" of approximately -!-90,OOO cf~ ill the three
<br />main forks produced a pe;tk di~('hat'g(' of 1()().nno ('f~ l1('ar 'Yig-gins
<br />on the morning of June 18.
<br />One of the reason~ t1w Hood of .lnne 17--1S WAS 111gh ihroughont
<br />the length of Bijou ('n'l'k i~ I hat all ollt;.-;t':ll1ding flood o('cIUTc'{l on
<br />Bijotl ('1'('('].;: ahout -:l~ Li)ur.~ p,ll'!i('i'. .\li I>xh'n~ioll of:i ;-:.t;lg(>~dis('lIarge
<br />relation llsed in 1'J3G .md l1elillt'll tn ;):),1)00 cfs il1dic:Hr~ a p(>ak c11~-
<br />charge between 120,u(!!! ::nd i;jl),tJOO cfs Oil the morHlng of .TUlle 16
<br />lll'ar ""'iggins. Thiti p:::timatc is p:lltially sub:5tantiated b.y estimates
<br />of peak discharges made the morning of ,Tune IG where C.S. I-lighway
<br />W C-l'o;sses ,rest BijoH Creek (70,000 ('fs), Hattiesl1:lke Creek (10,000
<br />ds), .\Iiddle. Bijou Creek (29,000 cfs), and East Bijou Creek
<br />(3;J,OOO cfs)"
<br />:.\fost. of the to\\"ll of D('er Trail was flooded when East Bijou Creek
<br />re,ll'hed ~t ll'.'a.k ~li~'harge of ~7-!-,OOO ("is at :2A-vu hours ,June 17. This
<br />discharge is 11 tiuH's rhe pre,'ious Ill,t:;::imllill discharge kno\....j)~ \\'hich
<br />occurred in 1!):~.1. The 14-;).000 ds peak on ~Iiddle Bijou Creek near
<br />Deer Trail was eS:3entially the same as that. of the flood of HJ85, and
<br />tho peak discharge of 7;\;100 ('fs on \Yest Hijou Creek at Byers \.\'as
<br />only 46 percent of the 1935 peak. (See table 2.) Peak discharges on
<br />Bij{)ii Creek near ,Yiggins were 2f.i2,DOO cfs III 1935 and 466,000 cfs
<br />in 196;'). The ]::1tter discharge was augmented slightly by water released
<br />from storage after failure of the railroad fill, about () miles upstn-'um.
<br />The floods of .June 17-1S, Ij){j5, oll East Bijou and Bijou Creeks
<br />were the greatest since at least the mid-1800's, when the area was
<br />,ettled. The. floods of .June 15-1H, 1\)(\5, may be the third highest iu
<br />O\'er 100 years at IIlallY locations in the Bijon Creek uasin and possibly
<br />the second highest Oil Ea~i Bijoll ('n'pk at Deer Trnii.
<br />
<br />EFFECTS OF STORAGE
<br />A\ll resen'oirs on the ~outh Platte Hiyer are upstream from the flood
<br />area and had little elIed on f\oodftows in the Dell\"er a.rQ;:\._
<br />
<br />700.000,
<br />
<br />__--...-----;- '---:---.--~------'---------r--' -1
<br />
<br />SOUTH PLATTE UI\-ER-Br.JOU CHEEK TO ~10UTH
<br />
<br />The Hi.iou Creek flood of .Iune 17-1~ l'eaclw(l the South Platte River
<br />ahout :};') hOllI":j hefore the t1o()(llllo\"ing down tIll' .sollth Platte Riyer
<br />frolll J)en,'er reaehecl the 1l1Outh of Bijoll ('1'('('1\:. aild it caused the
<br />highest ~tages and grt:'atest discharges dO"'llstrcam from Bijou
<br />Creek. Hesidents of Fort ':\forgan dp5cribed tlu'l'(> CI'P.:;ts, which were
<br />caused by the Bijou Creek floods of .Jnne 1:.-1(; aud Ii-IS and the
<br />main-stem South Platte Rivet" flood.
<br />On June IS, Bea,'er Creek pe'lked at 24,300 cfs 13 miles upstream
<br />frolll its mouth, about. ;~ hours after the South Platte Ri,-er crest
<br />passed the muuth or Bea 1:er Creek near Brush.
<br />
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<br />c I I I "'J' : '<'::-"" -d
<br />~ lO.OOO~ \ I I __.......... ...._ \
<br />0: ~ )' \ ) I' '; -.-------.:::~~~' '_ J
<br /><I) \.... : __ ~-.;;:.__.... ..j
<br />~ C I: ----=:~~~-j
<br />m i r\ I /-./ 1 ~ J
<br />
<br />1000[- JJ/ ,/ "'j
<br />- ~j / ~
<br />
<br />=/--L /,/ EXPLANATION i
<br />
<br />~I 'J1 -'- ---- lJ',
<br />f- __ Balzac. Colo.
<br />
<br />"
<br />,
<br />,
<br />
<br />100.OOO~
<br />
<br />c
<br />,
<br />r
<br />'-
<br />
<br />u
<br />m
<br />~
<br />u
<br />
<br />~
<br />
<br />ui
<br />~
<br />~
<br />~
<br />"
<br />u
<br />~
<br />o
<br />
<br />100::-
<br />t
<br />c
<br />
<br />
<br />Julesburg. Colo.
<br />
<br />L
<br />,
<br />[
<br />
<br />Paxton. Nebr.
<br />
<br />t
<br /> 1
<br />-i
<br />-i
<br />" ,
<br />~
<br />28 29 30
<br />
<br />North Platte. Nebr.
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />lQ'~1415~~~18--~-19-~--io-2i 22 23 .24 25 26 '17
<br />JUNE 1965
<br />
<br />FIGURE 8.-Di~('harg(> hydrogr:rph:o. at St'It'('tM\ ~agin~ 5tatiQn5 on South Platte
<br />Rh'er, BijOll Creek to mouth,
<br />
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