|
<br />Bao
<br />
<br />FLoons OF 19i:'.5 I~ THE rXITED ST.!.TF..S
<br />
<br />SOUTH PLATTE Fi.IYEH BASIX~ COLORADO, ~n]KE 1965
<br />
<br />The flood peak on East Bijou Creek hit tht.' tOWll of npt'l' Trail abotll
<br />lllidnight on .JUllC 17. One ousern'J' describing the Hooel said, '"It
<br />flushed the town:' Howe,"er, it. left lllud and debris in its wake.
<br />The three forks of Bijou Creek washed out or dama;red bridges on
<br />the main line of the l.7nion Pacific Hailro;ld ;1l1d hi~hw;\y I 70-17.8.40.
<br />HIJoH CI"eek wa~hed out the Chicago, Burlington & Qilill~'.Y Hailroad
<br />main line and hig-ln\"ay I 80 's-l-.S. (i w('sf of FOlt :\fOl'g-:tll. .\.If;llf~
<br />:t!ld othelO crops \\"('1'12 partly buried by :-ie~lill.li.'llt dt"posits, :llld dWllllei
<br />hanks wert' ('ut hadly at many ]o{'alities. Four of the ,;;;ix tlrO\\"llings
<br />()(,(,UlTed in the Bijon ('reE'k fiood.
<br />.\.fter the Bijou Creek flood reached tl1p. Snnth Platte Hiyer, it
<br />damag-ed a bridge under construction at. Fort ::\IoqrHn, and inundated
<br />f:,rm land, IntersLlte Hif..dl\nlY 80 S, the Gnion Paeiti(' Haiiroad
<br />tracks, and du.' eastern sectioll of Sterling. The normally innocuous
<br />South Platte- Hi\'er was n. mile or more wide and ('hoked with debri~.
<br />The flood (Test tra yeled 4, to ,"j miles per hour hehn'en Fort ::\Iorgnn
<br />
<br />D""
<br />.1Ju!.
<br />
<br />T \BLE :t-8wllmanl of floor! damage, in thollsands of dollars, 1'n SOIllh Platte
<br />- .. Hirer basin, JiUlC 1{)55
<br />
<br />{Adapt\'d from l:.S. Army Corps of En!:"ill('~rs data}
<br />
<br />:-tr,':Il1, tu~m
<br />
<br />l'lum('I'L'('k.___.....
<br />Soulh I'btl\' Hiv,'r:
<br />i{~il~h~'~)l;n[~; ~~e~~t(.l:cek. _ _ _ _. _ _ _ _ _ _._ _ _. __
<br />Bijou Crt'd.: to Co!ondo.:-; cbwsk.1 SlatC'
<br />Hn('_ __
<br />S[:.H~ line!o :Sarti! P!:J.tt~, :Seur._
<br />Cherry Cr('ck___..
<br />Sand Creek...__..
<br />Tol! G:J.tc Crcek__
<br />~.i~wa Cre~k__ __
<br />lllJollCre('li.____
<br />Badger CreC'k___
<br />Bcaver Creek..
<br />!'awnecCrcd.::_..
<br />~1i$('C'l1:).lleOll$ an':I..~_.
<br />
<br />Total.
<br />
<br />~t nd Bn1zac.
<br />
<br />Estimates of flood d:llllage h,y types and location h!ln~ been compiled
<br />hy the r.~. .\.rmy Corps of Engineers. Theil' d:llllage figures are sum-
<br />marized in table;j.
<br />
<br />In addition, the Corps of Engineers has estim,\t€'<1lll.iseell<llleolls sec-
<br />ondary economic losses as follows:
<br />
<br />::Olrl':l.lll ba.sin
<br />
<br />Tourist ineolU(>____________ u___ _ __. __ _ _ _ _ __ u ____ ______
<br />Interest on rt:'ConstruC'tion loan~__________________________
<br />Tax rt'n'IHH'S_________ __ _ _ ___ _ __ ______ ___ _ ___ _ _ __ ______
<br />
<br />:;::lH. GOO, 000
<br />lS,;)40,OOO
<br />;~{j, --!~ti, 000
<br />
<br />I'lwnCreek..__....
<br />South Platte River:
<br />grt~~~~~t'ZrB~~~~~~k ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ _ ~:::: ~ ~:::.
<br />Bijou Creek to Colorado-Xebraska State
<br />line_ ___u_ _____ _n non _ _ n_ _n n nn ___
<br />State line to ~orth Platte, Nebr__.
<br />Chcrry Cr('eku ._____________
<br />Sand CrC'('k_. _...
<br />TollliateCr('('k_ _..........__
<br />Kiowa Crt'C'k_ __
<br />Dijou Creek______ u__._____n.
<br />Badger CrC'ekn
<br />Be:).wr CrC'C'k_
<br />PawnecCrC'C'k_..___
<br />~lisC'('lIan("{)us an'as..
<br />
<br />Total ---________________________________________ !)3,626,OOO
<br />The total flood damag:e in the Sonth Platte Ri,-er hasiil was $;)08.':2
<br />lllillioll.
<br />The Houds in all fonr areas originatrfl in 01' near the headwaters of
<br />the laq.rer stn.'<lllIS; therefore, the ellrl." \\'arllillg of the approaching-
<br />ttood~ ~aYe most pt'ople clloug-h time to C\'l\('uate hOll)rs, remo"e lin'-
<br />;.;to('k or equipnH'llt to higher grollnd, and otherwi~e prepare for high
<br />water. The losses W('l'(' I"r(hw{'d throll,g-h the ('ooprl'atiyt> efforts of many
<br />p('ople and agen('ies and ('otll<l han~ heen redu('pcl further except that
<br />in €'Tery major flood there art' those who \\"illnot. hC'ed flood warnings
<br />t1util it is too late, Xot only do tlIPY ClI({all:!C'l' their o"-n Ih'es and
<br />property~ hut they endang-('I' rlIP lin's of olher... who try to rescue
<br />them.
<br />
<br />TotaL_
<br />
<br />:-::lr(':lJnIKl.Sin
<br />
<br />Plum Cr('{,k_____
<br />South Pl:Lttc Riv('r:
<br />I)ellv,'rmHropolitall_____.. ____ ..
<br />Rrightonlo Hijou Cr('('k_ ......_u__. _n..
<br />Bijou ('r('C'k to Colorado-:\('br:l..~ka State
<br />ilnll_.________...________________.
<br />Statt' linc 10 Xorth J'l:ltt(', :\C'br_
<br />Ch"rry Cr('('k..__ ...uu_____...._
<br />SandCreek.____ ....___..___
<br />Toll Gate Creek_.
<br />Kio'lO.--aCrNlk____
<br />D1jou Cr('(>lr__u
<br />RadgC'r Cre('k....
<br />Beave.r Creek._
<br />n~_._~~ 1""__0'_
<br />;:ii~~il~n'e~~"s...areas__. _...... .... ._. .__h
<br />
<br />FLOOD-CREST PROFILES AND INUNDATED AREAS
<br />
<br />G!'aphs of :fl{}0d--:.:!'est e!e\'atians ...,~~,~:;:-.; ;:':"<:'1' miks illustrate the
<br />n'latioll between these two factors lIndel' thp. conditions that existed
<br />at maximum stages, The locations of these high.watel' marks, photo-
<br />
<br />TotaL
<br />
<br />l-rt.:;.., propC'rty
<br />
<br />l'UD-
<br />hcaUy
<br />owned
<br />
<br />H,'~hl,"n- com-
<br />tlal lllt'relal l;ll;~ .~!
<br />
<br />;'llscd-
<br />Janeou5 Subtotal
<br />
<br /> -..-..-------
<br />40li 6lu ~~ :':1 16j 1,&48
<br />'.I, ~'~5 lti3, ~'SS 4, ~~4 3,128 3,IC!G IS4,931
<br />, , 25
<br />"" 40" 398 ,,. 703 ::,7;1
<br /> , ,
<br /> 163 <3 "---ii--- 8'.1 316
<br />1'1 H) 90 20 IE!}
<br /> 0
<br />178 56') " H 1"3 81S
<br /> 0
<br />l'n 19 66 10 23 249
<br /> ............ 2S 15 ,...
<br />,. 120
<br />11.2SC 166.101 5.3:15 4,132 4,245 191,153
<br />
<br />R~al proper-i.:.'
<br />l;arms and LivrSLOck Irrigation )Iiscrl- Subtotai
<br />crc.pl;;.nd;; srnlctlilCS .af1eous
<br />
<br />24,M2
<br />
<br />StreC'ts,
<br />roads,
<br />,nd
<br />bridges
<br />
<br />3,281
<br />16,170
<br />'-"6
<br />
<br />39,152
<br />
<br />4,123
<br />
<br />20 34
<br />67 39
<br />>> 4:;;<'
<br />
<br />Subtotal
<br />
<br />2,353
<br />
<br />6,652
<br />135,268
<br />1,878
<br />3,853
<br />432
<br />511
<br />2,107
<br />468
<br />2,862
<br />8,798
<br />1,561
<br />60S
<br />i,786
<br />4,399
<br />171,182
<br />
<br />57
<br />
<br />4,234
<br />2,188
<br />",~29
<br />
<br />1,590
<br />3,742
<br />
<br />5,924
<br />1,838
<br />438
<br />13
<br />20
<br />673
<br />1,563
<br />224
<br />838
<br />,.,
<br />3,771
<br />
<br />3,287 8,560
<br />o 2,918
<br />3 4
<br />3 51
<br />5 1
<br />9'} 207
<br />19 772
<br />32 95
<br />20 137
<br />1 2'"
<br />125 2, 186
<br />3,689 15,i41
<br />
<br />4"
<br />fi11
<br />
<br />1,629
<br />195
<br />350
<br />17
<br />25
<br />1,651
<br />1,073
<br />4'"
<br />361
<br />314
<br />1,032
<br />8,219
<br />
<br />19,400
<br />4,951
<br />795
<br />94
<br />51
<br />2,630
<br />3.421
<br />753
<br />876
<br />84'
<br />7,114
<br />52,191
<br />
<br />Transportation
<br />
<br />Hailroads
<br />,nd
<br />trucking
<br />
<br />Traffic
<br />delays
<br />and
<br />d,loUr.;
<br />
<br />Total
<br />10"'
<br />
<br />12,434
<br />322,387
<br />6,732
<br />26,024
<br />5,388
<br />1.306
<br />2,517
<br />...
<br />5,4.92
<br />13,00
<br />2,314.
<br />1.730
<br />4tH
<br />11,757
<br />4U,526
<br />
<br />2,837
<br />23'
<br />463
<br />1,4.16
<br />..
<br />1.9'7
<br />5,496
<br />1,369
<br />41.
<br />3;002
<br />
<br />1,018
<br />1I7,9n8
<br />413
<br />688
<br />o
<br />o
<br />628
<br />367
<br />619
<br />2,614-
<br />69
<br />69
<br />7.6
<br />675
<br />125,434
<br />
<br />1,100
<br />63.
<br />323
<br />151
<br />..
<br />23
<br />13
<br />27.
<br />...
<br />'23
<br />117
<br />iUS
<br />632
<br />',596
<br />
|