FLOOD05965

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Flood on Republican and Kansas Rivers May and June 1935
• Date: 1/1/1937
• Prepared By: USGS
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

34

Progress of

CONTRIBUTIONS TO HYDROLOGY, 1937

flood create on the Arlkaree and Republican rivers
above Benkelman, Nebr., May 31, 1935

distances are valley miles, which represent more 0100611 than river
m1.1e8 the dlstancee traveled. by the flood crost.).

Approximate Elapsed Hate ot
time of crest time Distance travel (miles
(Central time) (hours) (miles) per hour)

(Th.

Point on river

First crest, which coInoided wIth main flood on
t.he South Fork or the Republioan River

Arlkaree at
Haigler, Nebr.
Republican at
Parks, Nebr.
Republican above
Benkelman, Nebr.

4&30 a.m.

7 a.m.

'" 8.m.

Arlkaree at
Cope, Colo. 3115 a.m.
Arlkaree north
of Idalia, Colo. 7130 a.m.
Arlkaree at
Haigler, Nebr. 11;30 a.m.
Republican at
Parks, Nebr. 1:30 p.m.
Republican above
Benkelman, Nebr. 3130 p.m.

2.5

2

Second orest

0.0

4.25
4
2

2

11
,2

o

31
27
11
,2

4.4
6.0

7.3

6.8
5.5

6.0

Crest
disoharge
( sec.-ft.)

20,000

25,000

54,000
50,000

Progress of flood crest on South Fork of Republican River and on Repub-
lican River between Benkelnmn, Nebr., and Junction City, Kans.

(Distances are valley milee.)

Point on river

Newton, Colo.
St. Francis,
Kans.
Benkelman, Nebr.
Yox
Trenton
Culbertson
McCook
Cambridge
Oxford
Bloomington
Franklin
Superior
Hardy
Scandia, Kans.
Concordia
Clay Center
Wakefield
Milford
Junction City
(water plant)

Approximate
time of crest
( Central time)

May 31, 3 8.m.

4 il..ill.
9 a.m.
9:45 a.m.
Noon,
1130 p.m.
3130 p.m.
8 p.m.
June 1, 1 a.m.
10130 a.m.
Noon
June 2, 1 a.m.
2130 a.m.
S a.m.
11130 a.m.
June 3, 2 a.m.
7 a.m.
10 a.m.

2 p.m.

~lapsed
time
(hours)
o

1

5
.75
2.25
1,5
2
4.6
6
9.5
1.6
13
1.6
3.5
5.5
14.5
6
3
4

Distance
(miles)
o

26
8
20
10
10
26
28
36
4
49
7
16.7
18.0
37.0
13.6
6.8

11.3

Rate of'
travel (miles
Der hour)

*
6.0
10.7
8.9
6.7
5.6
6.6
5.6
3.B
2.7
3.B
4.7
4.B
3.3
2.6
2.7
2.3

2.B

Crest
d18charge
( 8ec.~!'t.l

190,000

245,000
..

260,000

225,000
215;000
195,000

+168,000

Not comparable, as rainfall on intermediate areas increased the di.-

*
charge.
** The max1mum
anu i8 estimated as
t Above mouth

crest discharge occurred between
about 280LOOO second-teet.
of Smoky Hill River.

Cambridge &.nd Arapahoe,

- r------

FLOOD ON REPUBLICAN AND KANSAS RIVERS, YAY AnD JUNE 1935

35

Progress of

flood crest on Kansas River between Junction City and
Kansae City, Kans., June 3-7, 1935

(Distances are valley miles.)

Rate of
travel (miles
per hour)

]!:lapsed
t1m.
(hours)

Point on river

Approx1mate
time of crest
( Central time)

Crest
discharge
{ sec.~ft.l

Distance
(miles)

JW1ct1on City
(Below Smoky
Hill River)
Ogden
Manhattan
(Above Big
Blue R1 ver)
(Below Blg
Blue River)
Wamega
Topeka
Bonner Springs
Kansas City

June 3, 2 p.m.
9130 p.m.

7.5

1.0

17g ,000
170,000

7.5

B.O

11.5

1.4

160,000
190,000
177,000
154,000
122.000
120.000

June 4, 6130 a.m.

do
June 4, 3:30 p.m.
June 5, 2 p.m.
June 6, 8110 p.m.
June 7, 5 a.m.

14.3
37.5
49.0
17.0

1.4
1.7
1.6
1.9

10.0
22.5
30.1
B.B

Note.- The f'lood peaks at Bonner Springe and at Kansae City were flat
and of long duration. therefore it W8-S difficult to determine the exact timee
of the momentary maxima at those places. The determinatIon of the crest dis~
charge at Kansas City ie only approx1mate.

Duration of fiood crest

North of Seibert. Colo., the Republican River rOS6 quickly to its peak
about midnight May 30-31 and remained there for ebout an hour, then r~c6ded
gradually.
Near Newton, Colo. (sec. 20, T. 5 S., R. 43 w.l, the river started to

r1se at 10 p.m. May 30 8nd reached a stage of 11 feet at :3 a.m. May 31. It
then fell 2 feet during the next 2 hours and was back In its banks at a stege
of :3 feet in the evening. The overflowed area had 8- width of 4,700 f'eet, and

the water wna about 8 feet deep. Only one crest was reported.

Below Ntlwton, 1..wo croHto dovulopod UtJCUUiJO of 1..1ll) bouvy l'ulrd'nll 1l0rLIL-

ea.!!t of thut point. Near the Kan:Jas-Nobrasku line south of llenkelman, Nebr.,

a rancher measured the rise and fall of the river by moane of 8~inch concrete

blocks in the foundation of hie resiuence near the river. At 11 p.m., al-
though there was a heavy rain, no sign of a flood appeared. but by 3 a.m. the

river hud risen 7 feet, and at 9 a.m. it reached ite crest of 10 feet. It
then fell 2 feet during the next hour and rose to a socond creat of 9.5 feet

at 1:15 p.m. Thie second cretlt, like the fir3t, was of short duration, and

the r1ver fell to a stage or 7.5 :foet by :5 p.m. A third rise 01' hal:f Ii root

occurred within the next hour, after which the water receded very 1310w1y to

the bank-full stage of 6 feet. The width of' the overfiflwed area WliS threo~

quartera of a mile.
At. Max, Nebr., t.he river reached its crest of 11.8 teet about 9:45

a.m. and then fell to Ii stage of 8.8 feet by 11 n.m. It renched a second