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<br />North St. Vrain & St. Vrain Creeks
<br />Floodplain Update
<br />
<br />Town of Lyons
<br />
<br />North St. Vrain & St. Vrain Creeks
<br />Floodplain Update
<br />
<br />Town of Lyons
<br />
<br />1941 FLOOD
<br />
<br />1949 FLOOD
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<br />Excerpts from the Longmont Times-Call
<br />Monday, June 6, 1949
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<br />35 Rescued As 51. Vrain Goes Rampage Here
<br />
<br />ALL BRIDGES BETWEEN LONG MONT AND LYONS MADE IMPASSABLE BY WEEK-END FLOODS - HOMES,
<br />HIGHWAYS AND FIELDS INUNDATED - RIVER CLIMBS TO 6,700 SECOND FEET - WATER LINE DAMAGED
<br />AND TRAINS DELAYED,
<br />
<br />A spring flood, which cause the St. Brain River to burst its banks, made all bridges between here and Lyons useless,
<br />delayed trains, inundated highways, fieid sand houses and necessitated the evacuation of 35 men women and
<br />children, struck here with force late Saturday night and early Sunday, The river had reached flood stage again
<br />Monday afternoon,
<br />
<br />As a result of weekend heavy rain in this district and in the mountains, the St. Vrain went on rising slowly, At 11 p,m,
<br />Saturday night the local chapter of the American Red Cross removed several families from their homes southwest of
<br />town near the Western Solvents Plant when water surrounded them,
<br />
<br />No, 30, the southbound C, & S, was several hours late Sunday and arrived here at 8 a,m" ,.. It was held until 1 p,m,
<br />while a stretch of track near the Golden West mill, which had been undermined by the water was re-inforced. Two
<br />carloads of limestone were dumped along the track where the water was waist-deep,
<br />
<br />St. Vrain Creek east of Lyons, 1941,
<br />
<br />Water also flooded over Highway 87 (Longmont-Denver road) just south of the First Avenue tracks, inundating
<br />several stores and filling stations,
<br />
<br />5t. Vrain Floods
<br />
<br />A total of almost three inches of rain fell here during the storm, according to records at the experimental station of the
<br />sugar company, During the high point Saturday night, the St Vrain was flowing some 6,700 second feet of water,
<br />Commissioner Carl Maier reported. Flood stage is from 2,000 to 2,500 feet when the river starts leaving ijs banks, In
<br />summer flash floods, previously, as high as 10,000 second feet had been measured,
<br />
<br />The 'Old Iron Bridge,' east of Lyons and just below the Longmont filtration plant at the Ruski place finally succumbed
<br />to flood water. This bridge had withstood many floods over the years, but always remained firm until Sunday morning
<br />when it gave way in the middle.
<br />
<br />Longmont Times - Call
<br />Monday June 23, 1941
<br />
<br />Roaring out of darkness split by almost continuous lightning and thunder, thousands of tons of water swept down the
<br />Norlh and South St. Vrain canons early Sunday morning causing the flood which also took three homes away,
<br />damaged roads, flooded a half dozen houses in Lyons, wrecked bridges and inundated farm lands,..
<br />
<br />L.T, Burgess, chief hydrographer from the state enginee~s office, and J.E. Whitter, division engineer for the Platte
<br />area, took slope measurements and found that at the peak of the flood the depth was 8.07 feet compared with a
<br />normal of 3,26, At 2:14 a.m, Sunday and for two hours the St. Vrain was measured at 8,900 second feel. Today It
<br />measured 595 second feet average, The average for Sunday was 2,000 second feet. The river rose to 8,900
<br />second feet in 30 minutes. The highest ever registered previously was 9,600 second feet, Commissioner Maier said.
<br />The date of this record rise was not available,
<br />
<br />An approach to the bridge on South Sunset was washed out, closing the road,
<br />The south approach to the bridge on the Hoover Road went out Sunday morning and widened during the day,
<br />One of the abutments of what is known as the Neighbors bridge was washed out and the south portion of this bridge
<br />fell in.
<br />
<br />During the flood tons of silt, sand and rocks were carried down both the Norlh and South St. Vrains as well as poles,
<br />lumber and trees,
<br />
<br />The Crane Hollow bridge west of Hygiene was strongly supported by piling, but trees and other debris drove against
<br />the piling until it finally gave way and another bridge was gone,
<br />
<br />East of Longmont, the bridge on the County Une at the Old Dixon Mill was washed out.
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<br />Floodplain Information Report 16
<br />K,\356001004\FLOODPLAIN INFORMATION REPORT,doc
<br />
<br />June 1998
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<br />Floodplain Information Report 17
<br />K,\356001004\FLOODPLAIN INFORMATION REPORT.doc
<br />
<br />June 1998
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