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<br />rLUOUtl Ur igti5 IX THE UN1TEj) :5TJ,'l'-":S
<br />
<br />ROUTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN, COLORADO, JUNE 196,; B25
<br />
<br />The entire flood runofl:' of Cherry Cree\.:: was stored in Chern- ('n'pk
<br />H('serroi!\in~t upstrC'am from D('nn'r. '1'11(' pC'ak inflow to tll(' r~'~l'l'\-()ir
<br />\\-a-s about 59,000 cfs, and the outflow \yas zero. If the flood on CheITY
<br />Creek had not been controlled, the ;tn'a :tlong' ChelT" C'rrek in 1)('11\';1'
<br />would haye hPPll dam;q:~:t'd E'lltpl1sin'ly. 'I'll(' 11ll('()nt~'o]J('(l flood \\"ollld
<br />haye r~a('hE'd the South Platte Hi\'er In'fore the Pllllll ('r('('1\: fl<HHl
<br />reaelH'd the mouth of C!:rrry Cr('(>k. hut till' ('onlrihuti(m of C'IH'lTV
<br />Creek to the flood pJ'n!,!T{.:-:..;iJlg dowll tht' :--;ollth Pbttp Hiy('j' \\.tlllJ~l
<br />11 a n', L'\f'en :,ig-l1ific;lnt.
<br />
<br />Storage of Hoo<1wall'r:-: Oll t]H' Ho()d plains of PIl1lll ('reek :llld the
<br />~Ollth pl.lttu 1);..", ...,. ,'" ;,,,,.,..,,. c__~ . d .
<br />." "" \,,{, \.n_.... "Il ,1I1\'()!lalll Jill'H)!' ill (l1t' redtt(,l!Oll of
<br />po:slble Hooel dalllap.(, ,1S flit' flood i))on.'d dow!lstn>,un. Debris-dwked
<br />br:Hlge5 cansed sOllle local increases in stage and dallla~e. but. ;donrr
<br />"-.\'lt~l o~,ht?l" ::-toi.agp ;il't',j:-:; 011 flit' iiood plains, rallsed a r('~hl('tion. of th:'
<br />peal.;: <tlSehar;!l'. The t!ood crested Oll Plum Creek 11ear LOll\.jers at
<br />154~OOO ds. !Ill thl:" ~oqth Platr" Pi,.,,,, .,f T ;f-tlrot(~" .,t 1111 (\Il/l ,,~~ -~
<br />) . ' -.. _ ~..,.. "" "~H ,,'-, '" ,,< ~ "",'''-..J\f L J..." <n
<br />l~)th Street 1ll Dell\Tl' at -hl.;){)\l cfs. ;Illd at HC'lldl'r:-:oll at :2D,GOO <,-fs.
<br />1)_..__".... Ll _ 1 _' ., .
<br />J't"H\l.TIl llJP:-,e lO('<irjOllS, rri!Hltal'H's \':err adding Slll:lli to moderate
<br />fIo\rs at the- time of the llwin crest.
<br />
<br />t rilmtaries from Clear Creek to St. Vrain Crf'E'k were also hig:h~ and
<br />bottom lands from Brighton to Brush were inunua.ted.
<br />""ide~pread raills .June 2-7, 1021, caused flooding from the ~o\1th
<br />Platte. Ri\.er canyon abo\-e Den,'er to the Color:Hlo-Xeln'aska Sbte
<br />line. ~\t F'ort ':\Iorgan, this flood was ;lhollt thf" same ht'ight .as that
<br />in lS~H.
<br />Plum ('re(~k, Cherry Creek~ and Big and Litt ie Dry Creek b;bins
<br />re'\.'ei\"t~d hc:.tyy l'nill;-; 1)11 ::'l'pt. !.I-It), HJ;~:~~ aud the n'~llltillf,!: {Tl':::t OJ!
<br />the South Platte Rin'r at, Denn,;r, :2~,()OO l'f:::. \\"as the ltig-hE'st lip to
<br />:haf time. This flood :lttcnuaied TO only ;\t1nU cfs a.t lIenderson. The
<br />~:2.c)()U {'f~ ~.1ischa!'~e \\.,lS the maxillllllll on n~curd until it was ex{,\.,t'~lC'd
<br />by' the ,10,:300 cfs' peak ill ,fune 1965, Stated another way, the 193:1
<br />flood \\":lti the rnaxlrn1.l.lii in 71 ye'l.i:6 of record. ,u1.d prob~bly the B1i1xi-
<br />lHWll in the 1:21 years since Ib-l..f-, yet it \\'a:::; exeeeded in IDG5 by a flood
<br />flo\\- S;1 percent higher. Similar incr-cases, some en~n Jnrger~ in known
<br />rna~lrll1,-lm::; ha\"e oc\.'urrc<.l ,\t sexeral piaccs in the l~nited State~ in
<br />recelil, years.
<br />
<br />CHERRY CREEK
<br />
<br />In 1858, Inrlians told of great floods on Cherry Creek in times past~
<br />but their stories ,,"ere not taken for fact. The :first flood of reeord
<br />occurred 011 ~lay 1~-20, 1864, and a personal account of the flood.
<br />includes; "we could see the inky waYes, 15 to 20 feet high, carrying
<br />trees, houses, tattle, and sheep-and for all we know, human beings--
<br />to certain destruction" (Colorado Mag., May 1927, in Follansbee and
<br />Sawyer, 1948, 1', 60), "rajor floods o('('lllTNI on "ray 22, 1876, and
<br />"fay 22, 1878, and a greater one occurred on .July 26, 1885. The flood
<br />of .July 14, 191:2, came from heavy raius on about 100~200 square miles
<br />near Park{,l" The peak discharge determined by a slope-are.."1. Bleasure-
<br />lllent aboye Parker was 14,500 cfs.
<br />.\n estimate of 17,000 <'is was made after the flood of .July 28,
<br />lU22, a.t :.1.. site about :~ Iniles north of or downstream from Parker.
<br />The failure of Castlewood ]}al11 on .Aug. 3, 193;~, caused the largest
<br />tlood on Cherry Creek prior to 1965. Inflow to Castlcwood Dam
<br />peaked near ;\;\000 ofs, and the stored water released when the dam
<br />failed caused a peak dis('har!!:e estimated at 126,000 ofs just below
<br />the dam. This peak flow diminished to 15,000 cfs at Dem'er.
<br />Sillce 1033, a- detention reser\"()ir, and since H)j;O, Cherry Creek
<br />Resen-oil' ha\"e contained the large floods on Cherry Creek. The peak
<br />intlo,,' to ('herry Creek Reser\'Oil' in .June 196:; was about 59,000 ofs.
<br />
<br />CO:J.IPAHISOXS \\'I'rH PHE\~IOUS FLOODS
<br />
<br />Follansbep '\11<1 S'ny""" /l'J'C) ".,. 1: 1 -~. . 1 t .1 "
<br />_ ,. <.J '--< \ . +u l.-\hlJp1l8Cl 11l<l11'V (le ,t!IS r('~T.tr(llJlg.
<br />fl d ' I ' . b'
<br />00 S 1Il t lC ::;outh Platte Bin'l' hasin, ()tiw." l'pnnrt<;;, t'H'pn':lI'prl fm'
<br />notable Hoods that occurred in the same ar~'a ar'~ tl~~;~~ i~y'~Ar~~~r:~;I:-~: a~~.d
<br />o:hers (1905), Follansbee. and Hoelges (102',), and the l.l.S, Geol,;"ical
<br />.:--illrn~y (1!Jj7, IDG:3). ~
<br />SOUTH PLATTE RIVER
<br />
<br />XO pstimate::s of the peak dischar{res for the flood::; of 1'-'1! ~186'
<br />18 '7 _ M O~-r, l -t,
<br />f) , and 18,6 are on record. GeuPl'al statements like "bottom
<br />lands, near Den\"el' were ('o\"ered with water from hlun' to blllfr' \\'ere
<br />HS('cI III lS.f4 illlc1 ]1:564. The :-'onn'(':; of tilt' fiood in :\fav IHG.f wert'
<br />Cl~e'TY and Plum Creeks, hut Ill(' Hood ill .Jm\(" l,s(i-i- ('arll; from hea\"\"
<br />ram on SIIO\\. ill the npper ~()lIth Platte Bin:>!' basin. (YPlIel'al (>stilllah:~
<br />of. the flood ill .:\fay IS07 wpre that there was llIore water at a hnn>1'
<br />helght in a wider ('hanlle] than in lSH-t. By Ii'\TG, flood-plain ell(,l'o:'H'h-
<br />Illent had .de\-e]oped to sHeh an extplIt that the following' dl'seriptioll
<br />~!)!}eared,m tl~e Rocky ~roHlltain Sews of .:\Iay :!:~. IK7H: "fTII(' ~ollth
<br />b Ltt.teJ,.\\fiS h~gher to he SlIl'e-:;e\-eral ~('l't higher fJPl'haps ill l~()-t--
<br />tit l~ \\ .18 not able to work snch destructIOn at that tillle as HOW. There
<br />wasnt so much town here in 1864. as now, )Jor as IllHIlY brid("es .~
<br />The flo~d of May ;n, 1H!H, originated in the uppe;' Souill Platte
<br />HJ\'er basm and has been estimatpd as 1...))00 I?fs Ht Dl!l!~'e!'. .:\!mU':!.t:l!!':!.
<br />
<br />KIOWA AND BIJOU CREEKS
<br />
<br />Cloudburst rains in the Kiowa Creek and Bijou Creek basins on
<br />)lay 30 and 31, IB35, caused extremeiy high water on these streams
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