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Elizabeth. A storm .e~er ~aB constr~cted along Kiowa Avenue in 1950 to reduce flooding. Flooding of b~sineues along this main street hu been greatly reduced .ince that time. Only those building. ~hich ere belo~ ~he .treet grade have experienced water damage. Intervie~. ~ith long time Eli~abeth resident. provided the mo.t veluable ineight into past flooding problema. The person. interviewed were ns follo~s' . ". Emil " Bo.trom (Resident 50+ years) . ~. Wnrren ,. Garland (Re9ident 60. years) . ~. Harold " Hundley (Resident SO. year.) . ,'- George A. McClellen (Resident 70+ year.) Adjacent land developers modified the inlet to the storm sewer by raiaing the creat in 1975. The Colorado Division of Highwsy. also has placed a elo.e me.h grate over the inlet to prev~nt children and debris from entering the s"~er. The outlet of the sewer ~aa e"tended by the Colorado Divi.ion of Highway. in 1977. The comment. concern~ng past flooding are summarized in the following statements' In the 1930's several small floods damaged the atreets in town. Water flowed down Kiowa Avenue and into 3 or 4 of the businesses. A flood detention dam wsa built somecilll<! bet~een 1938 and 1941 to "educe flood potential. The d<!tention dam has been effectiv" over the yean in the opinion of those inte"vi"~,,d. Although the spillwsy size ~a8 inadequate by today's standards, the dam ~ns never threateoed. The detention dam was modified in 1976 in ~onjunction with land develop- ment along the Kennett Drainage. The re.ervuir was e"c8vated, the spillway was enlarged, and the dam crest was lowered. According to personnel from the Soil Conservation Service, ~ho reviewed the modified dlUn design, the new dam is less hazatdous and less likely to fail than the old dam. It is "srimated that water flow<:d over the apill~"y of the old dam three times or about onCe every ten years on the average. Watar nearly filled the new re.ervoir in July 1918, but did not flow over the spillway. -43- -44-