FLOOD05149

• County: Delta
• Community: Delta
• Stream Name: Gunnison, Uncompahgre Rivers
• Basin: Gunnison
• Title: Cost Estimates for Removal of Debris, Bank Protection and River Training Along the Uncompahgre, Gunnison and the North Fork of the Gunnison Rivers
• Date: 1/1/1980
• Prepared For: Delta County
• Prepared By: Mt Highland Engineering
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Miscellaneous

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COST ESTIMATES FOR
REMOVAL OF DEBRIS,
BANK PROTECTION AND RIVER TRAINING
ALONG THE UNCOMPAHGRE, GUNNISON AND
THE NORTH FORK OF THE GUNNISON RIVERS

STATEMENT OF THE, PROBLEM

The Uncompahgre, North Fork of the Gunnison and Gunnison Rivers,
which run through Delta County, have experienced unusually high
spring floods over the last two years. The flooding has deposited
large amounts of debris in the river bed, deposited sand and
gravel bars and rechanneled the flow into the public and private
improvements causing severe damage. These new channels and the
debris left by the floods are now a "semi-permanent" part of the
river mechanics and continue to influence the course and behavior
(\ ~~\,\.OXof the river. The condition of the river channel is so poor, a
'1,\ \ ,\, normal spring runoff presents the potential to do much public
, , improvement"Pamage and to continue to erode valuable private farm
lands. The photographs at the end of this report exemplify the
current condition of the rivers.

In 1984, Delta County documented damage directly attributable to
the flooding in excess of $1,650,000; $770,000 to public
facilities and $880,000 to private improvements. Itemization of
these losses is as follows:

DELTA ,COUNTX
1984 FLOOD ,DAMAGE COSTS
PUBLIC/PRIVATE IMPROVEMENTS

Repair of County Bridges ......................
Emergency Work during Flood to protect Bridges
City of Delta Sewer Interceptor ...............
Town of paonia Lagoon .........................
Town of Hotchkiss Lagoon ......................
State of Colorado, HWY 187 Bridge .............

Total Damage to Public Facilities

$ 126,790
$ 157,580
$ 136,000
$ 25,000
$ 30,000
$ 297,000
$ 772,370
$ 880,000

Damage to Private Property....................

$1,652,370

Total Damage

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Damage to the bridges, treatment facilities and other public
improvements was caused by excessive debris accumulation and
floating debris, bank scouring and channel bottom scouring.
Debris on mid-channel piers is the greatest danger to the i
structural integrity of a bridge and contributes greatly to the
cost of emergency work. On several bridges bottom scouring did

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