<br />B26
<br />
<br />T"'O,- ....."....~ __ . _ _ _
<br />':'UVVU;:! V.l' l;jt\,')
<br />
<br />iN THE UXITED STATES
<br />
<br />SOUTH PLATTE RI'VER EASIX~ COLORADO,
<br />
<br />.......~..-.... ,.....,,-
<br />,JU':'\.l:.o 1.:7'1;";
<br />
<br />n')7
<br />.J..JJ:.."
<br />
<br />and 011 the SOllth Phtte Ri,-cl' llL'ar FOlt ~rOI'gan. The ;'T"'entY-l~jdlth
<br />
<br />,Bienni<~l Heport ()f the Colorado State E-ngineel''' contai;lS ;OIlW
<br />
<br />..t~lltatl\'e conclusions" and qualifies the published disl'hal'~e fi~lIre~
<br />wIth the COlllment : .
<br />
<br />",rbiJ(' ~()llle of tlH' l'Psnlts_ n:ll't-i('nl'll.h- tl,,,,.,, ,,-t ~I", n::".. I'.. ,,:_
<br />. ' 1. ---, -----"-',' ,..".,.... ".l. 1H": J...J11"1I " !lc-\:l~
<br />dlsl'llal'pl', ;lppt':Ir to he ill('redible and entiI'ph- hPI'oml anYlh'i!l"" \\.l1i('h
<br />~,la~ l':-t'l' o('('ll1T~'d in (,ol(lI'ndo 01' ,Hlj:\('t'llt :~I'('a;, they ;;'l'I' :-1l1Jlllitk,1
<br />lO!' \\'l);lte\'er Y<title they lIla ,- Ita \'C'-'
<br />Tahle:? include;.; thE: ;.t(>;ltatin~ (,o!l(']!!~i!)n:.-;" for the 1:J:i,-; Mood ;ulll
<br />comparable dis('ha)'g'('~ del(,l"ll\illPd in I :)fG.
<br />nie:ch...............s ,:i,,~:,,_ d.._ d 1 ,...... _~_,_ _,... _
<br />~~~ ....~6'- '-Hllllfg lllt~ IIOOU or ~\Jay l~J;);) on h.lO\Y,l Creek \\"('1'('
<br />{3,500 cfs abollt 1 mile downstream from Elbert and 110.000 ds "bod
<br />j:! miles clo\\"llstn'<llll frOll! KiO\Y<l. III ("nntr;l~t, di~ch;rO'es ill 10S-5
<br />\~~re 41,;SOO cf:;; pIllS an unknown, but substantial. flow ~from 'Yest
<br />T\..,o"-'" C~eel. ~~ T;'ll I ' -~ ""'.0' ~ -~.
<br />~ . ..... .J.. h.. ,l[ .I~Jl)el' alln U)jIU e!s at h..lo\\'a. The he<lyiest rnin:-; in
<br />1?3~ were near Ellwl't and Kiowa, wlll'l'pas in lOG5 the\' were a]ol)lY
<br />tile headwater diyjdl'_ _\nother llotahie flood oCl'urred OIl I\'imY:l CrC'C'k
<br />on ~f:.n: ')1 iR';"x I, t l , ,-i: ,.--.l.u l' _ '. _ _
<br />'. '_ -~~ -(~,(., ,1,1 ,!(, 'IlSulll~g:e J1gnn~s arc anulaole, _\ -C,HlOll
<br />Paclhc jocolllotin~ nlunged into the ';:'~ln.1<;: ",f K;AH'" ('...""l~ rln~:"_T ..1.:..
<br />flood and wasne,-el:fotu7d, " -"'--'- v.o. ~....~v..~. .......'-"-n. UU.lJl1h 1111:'>
<br />
<br />mitte('~ tot:ll $500 111illion in tilt:" ~ol1th Platte Ri,~er hasin; about ~;jOO
<br />million was in the DeJn~er area.
<br />The damage in the- area Horth of Greeley and west of Sterling oc-
<br />('lIlTed .J11nc 14-1G. Haad", ,,'('re flooded, bridges and bridge approach('~
<br />\\'ere washed out~ as Il1u<:h as ;) feet of \Yater inundated parts of the
<br />towns of Gaieton, .\t,,"ood, Sterling, and Gredey, anu liyestock. nllt()~
<br />lllobil('s~ :tnd farm machillt'ry were iost. Some flooding was c;lll~ed :lfter
<br />local drainage facilitie::; b(>('ame plugged by hail.
<br />Lone Tree Creek OH'l'topped a ~()-foot~hip:h earth-fill (1:\m <lnd
<br />,yashec1 out a IOO-foot g<\P in tilt., c1alll. Tht> release of the stored \yater
<br />added to theftood pl'obiems dO'i\"llstream,
<br />Near At,yood,'floodwutcl's fronl Pawnee Creek undercut the Deln'er-
<br />Chicago main line of the l,Tnion Pacific Railroad.
<br />The damage in rural areas in the Plum Creek basin was extensi,"e.
<br />The he..n"y runol! deposited all kinds of debris-from sand to huge
<br />boulders and trees-on fields and pastures. Road embankments were
<br />se\-ereIy eroded, and bridges on county, State, and interstate roads
<br />\\"ere destroyed. (See fig. G.) L.'1rge cnt b~nks, particularly along East
<br />
<br />T\JH>F.?_,...^""".,,,....~~__.r___, ,., __
<br />- -- -. ...-"".,.,....'..,vr. v, lIt''''II' "'7.~wn.nrnp,Q"'", .. ~.....,,~ ,,_,J IJ,-.;~_. "'__,'"~ J'_.. '" , .
<br />- . 1935~a-~ii965~~.... .....,.'" ....Jv... '-"""f\.') JU' JWuu;s UJ
<br />
<br />- < _ '~'~~"~V-~~~'.:~ry;~~T:~'--..-
<br />
<br />Drainage
<br />.,."
<br />(sqmi)
<br />
<br />
<br />Stream and iocation
<br />
<br />Pf>alrdi5Ch.'lrge (c.f.s.)
<br />1935 IG65
<br />
<br />Kiowa Crcck at Elbert
<br />W:cst Kiowa Creek at Efbe~t========~==~~---
<br />KIowa Creek at Elbert H --
<br />Kiowa Creek at Kiowa ~ u ~ - -- ~ - --, -- - -- ----
<br />Kiowa Creek north of K-i~~\~a~ - - - - - - - ~ - - - ~ - - -
<br />Kiowa Creek at BennC'tt -----------~----
<br />East Bijou Creek at Dec~-Tr;,if_- - ,- - - ~ - -- - --
<br />~I~ddle Bijou Creek belo\\" Wilso;l- Cr~~k- - - - ~-
<br />l\Itddlc .~ijou Creek near (Peoria) Deer T;;if -
<br />\Vest BIJOU Creek near Kiowa --
<br />'Vest BijOll Creek at Johnsons-Bridg~ - - - - - ~ --
<br />\~cst B!~ou Creek south of Strasburg_~~== == =-
<br />".~st BIJOU Creek at Bycrs______~___~_ -
<br />BljOn Creek near Wiggins__________________
<br />
<br />28.6 ---~------ 41,0")00
<br />35,9 ~-~------~ 20, 000
<br />65 43, 500 ---
<br />III -'----~- 19,700
<br />190 lID, 000 - - - - - - - - ~ -
<br />236 75, 300 2.1, nOD
<br />302 23,000 274, 000
<br />1.:)1 71, 270 ----------
<br />190 143, 640 145, 000
<br />85_ 7 ----~----- 67,200
<br />IlS 34, 250 - ~ - - - - - - - -
<br />IS7 44,400 - - - - -.. - - ~-
<br />277 164,670 75,500
<br />1,314 282,900 466,000
<br />
<br />);OTE.
<br />
<br />DrainagE.' anas lor sitE.'s USE.'d only in 1935 not coordinated with drainage arcas of 1965 sites_
<br />
<br />FLOOD DAMAGE
<br />
<br />Six persolls were drowned, and at least two othf'IO df>:lth.;:. u'prp ~L
<br />tributed to tl~e storms and acti,'ities related to the fl;)o;i~: ])~;~;~e
<br />eS<lI11ares, made shortly after the flood by a special Congressional co~-
<br />
<br />FIGL"RE 9.-Bridge on approach road from Castle Rock to Interstate High~ay 25
<br />destroyed by East Plum Creek, Denver Post photograph by William Peters.
<br />
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