FLOOD06413

• County: Denver
• Community: All
• Stream Name: All
• Basin: South Platte
• Title: Floods in the Denver District during the Calendar Year 1947
• Date: 12/1/1947
• Prepared For: State of Colorado
• Prepared By: US Army Corps of Engineers
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

b. Detailed maps of areas inundated.

c. Photographs taken during and after the floods.

II. Floods in the South Platte River Basin

6~ General. The expectations for extreme flows on the South
Platte for 1948 on 1~y 1, were above normal but less than 1947. Co-
operative 'snow. surveys reported above average snow depth at low levels
but only average, or slightly under, at high levels. Reservoir storage
was above normal and water was being passed into Nebraska.

7. Flood dischar!';es. Table No. 1 below lists the peak flood dis-
charges during May and June 1948 according to measurements by the
Colorado State Engineer's Office and peak discharges of record for the
South Platte River and tributary streams at points of interest.

TABLE 1.

1948 Peak Discharges and Maximum Discharges of Record

j,luxi:mun 'dTSchar ge of
1948 peak discharge record
sec-ft date sec-ft date
3,440 4-30_48 22,000 9-10-33
8,000 5-31-48 10,700 4-26-42
4,510 5-31-48 9,000 4-20-42
4,620 6-2-48 31,000 6-7-21
2,650 5-3-48 11 ,000 7 -21-45
2,300 5-17-48
2,440 5-19-48 31,300 6-2.35
37;100 6-3-35

Stream

Location

South Platte
River

Denver, Golo
Henderson, Golo
Fort Lupton,Colo
Kersey, Colo
Ft.l-!organ,Colo
Balzac, Cola
Julesburg,Golo
North Platte,Neb

Caohe la
Poudre River

Ft. Gollins (nr)
Golorado
(Ganyon Mouth)
Greeley, Golo.

Thompson
River

brake, Colo.
(Powerhouse)

St. Vrain
Creek

Lifons, Golo

Clear Creek

Golden, Golo

2,850 5-22-48
296 5-31-48 4,240 6-26-17
1,150 6-31-48 8,000 6-31-19
820 6-11-48 10,500 6-22-41
1,610 6-1-48 8,700 6-1.1888

8. Main Stem of .the South Platte River. The South Platte River
was flowing full bet.reen the latmr part of April and the middle of May
with a slight flooding of low lying pasture ground. The flow line drop-
ped slightly from then on, and with the exoeption of the reach be~~een
Sand Greek and Fort Lupton, remained within its banks for the rrnnainder
of the year. As a result of a heavy rainstorm over Sand Greek and a
large area east of Denver on May 30, 1948, Sand Creek flooded and dis-

2