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Within the corporate limits of Loveland, the Big Thompson River channel is approximately 100 feet wide and from 6 to 10 feet deep. The streambed, gravelly in composition, has an average channel slope of 18 feet per mile. The flood plain is from approximately 2000 to 3000 feet wide in this area and relatively flat. Flood plain development within the corporate limits consists of a fairgrounds, commercial facilities, and a few residential acreages, The vegetation of the river area is composed of weeds and willow bushes covering the banks and several stands of cnUnn-- wood trees growing in the flood plain. The ~ajor soil types in the flood plain are of the Fluraquents- Fluvent Association, warm and deep in composition and poorly drained (Reference 6). 2.3 Principal Flood Problems The main cause of flooding in Loveland is usually intense rainfall in the late spring and summer seasons, with the possibility of rainfall runoff being increased by snowmelt in May and June. Past records of floods show that floods can last from a few hours, if caused by a cloudburst in the lower basin, to 1 to2 days, if caused by a storm in the upper basin. Approximately 13 floods have occurred in Loveland on th~ Big Thompson River since 1864. These floods occurred in 1864, 1894, 1906, 1919, 1921, 1923, 1938, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1949, 1951, and 1976. All but the 1919 flood did damage to crops, homes, and businesses in the Loveland area, On June 9, 1921, the Colorado and Southern Railroad bridge was destroyed due to heavy rains on June 2 through 7, 1921, On June 4 through 7, 1949, heavy rains in the headwaters area of the Big Thompson River basin caused a flood with a magnitude of 7750 cubic feet per second (cfs), as estimated at the Loveland station. Although considerably less than the 100-year flood discharge of 19,000 cfs, lowland areas just west of Loveland were damaged (Reference 2). The largest floods recorded at Loveland have also been the most recent ones. On August 2 and 3, 1951, intense rains over much of the Big Thompson River basin caused a dam to break on the Buckhorn Creek on August 3. This caused severe flooding from the mouth of Buckhorn Creek to the mouth of the Big Thompson River, especially through the Loveland area. Approxi- mately 1 mile of U.S, Highway 34 was destroyed just west of Loveland, irrigation works were destroyed, crop loss was heavy, and much sediment and erosion damage occurred. The lives of four people were lost and many were left homeless. Total 4