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<br />2.0 AREA STUDIED <br /> <br />2.1 Scope of Study <br /> <br />This Flood Insurance Study covers the incorporated areas of the <br />Town of Rangely, Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The area of study <br />is shown on the Vicinity Map (Figure 1). <br /> <br />Flooding caused by the overfl~ of the White River, College Canyon <br />Draw, and Coal Mine Draw was studied in detail within the Town of <br />Rangely. <br /> <br />The areas studied by detailed methods were selected with priority <br />given to all known flood hazard areas and areas of projected <br />development or proposed construction through 1988. <br /> <br />Flooding caused by the overfl~ of High School Ravine and St. <br />Timothy Wash was studied by ap~roximate methods. However, <br />flooding along these streams narrows to widths of less than 200 <br />feet. Due to criteria set by FEMA, the flooding has been <br />converted to areas of minimal 'flood hazard. <br /> <br />Approximate analyses were used to study those areas having a low <br />development potential or minimal flood hazards. The scope and <br />methods of study were proposed! to, and agreed upon by, FEMA and <br />the Town of Rangely. <br /> <br />2.2 Community Description <br /> <br />The Town of Rangely is located in the northwestern corner of Rio <br />Blanco County, approximately 18 miles east of the Colorado-Utah <br />State line and 57 miles west of Meeker, the only other sizeable <br />community in the county. Rang~ly is situated at an elevation of <br />5,200 feet and is approximately 70 miles north of Grand Junction, <br />Colorado, 180 miles east of Sa!lt Lake City, and 200 miles west of <br />Denver. <br /> <br />Rangely was originally settled: in 1882 as a center for cattle <br />ranching and Indian trading. The area was virtually unknown until <br />the mid-1940s when a major oil discovery was made. Ultimately, <br />the Rangely Oilfield became the largest producer in the Rocky <br />Mountain region and the sixth 'largest in the United States. <br /> <br />Rangely is not on any main tr~nsportation routes, but it is <br />connected to both Meeker and Qinosaur, Colorado, via Colorado <br />State Highway 64. Transporta~ion facilities have been generally <br />adequate to meet the needs of ithe farm and ranch population. <br />Because there is no railroad line through Rangely, most livestock <br />is shipped to market by truck. The county airport, which has a <br />4,500-foot lighted runway that can accommodate light commercial <br />aircraft, is near Rangely. <br /> <br />2 <br />