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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I July 1922 - A severe storm centered over the Bayou Gulch basin, a tributary to Cherry Creek, upstream from the study area, during the afternoon of July 28, 1922, Heavy rainfall was reported to have occurred in an area bounded by lines 3 miles north of Parker, about 4 miles west of Cherry Creek, 1 mile south of Franktown, and by the Douglas County line on the east, Unofficial rainfall amounts varied from I inch to 3.5 inches, occurring in about two hours. A peak discharge of 8,700 cubic feet per second was estimated for Bayou Gulch. The discharge on Cherry Creek, 3 miles north of Parker, was estimated to be 17,000 cubic feet per second. Although no damages were experienced in Denver, this was considered a major flood for the upstream part of the Cherry Creek basin. estimated peak flow of 14,100 cubic feet per second discharged from Piney Creek, a right-bank tributary of Cherry Creek. Three of the 18 small dams constructed by the Soil Conservation Service in the upper Cherry Creek basin between Franktown and Parker were filled by the runoff. Two of these were subsequently overtopped and sustained erosion damage. The remaining 15 structures were outside of the area of high intensity rainfall and received only moderate runoff. The storm caused major flooding along Cherry Creek from the vicinity of Franktown to the Cherry Creek reservoir. About 2,720 acres were flooded and most of the bridges across Cherry Creek were either damaged or destroyed. One life was lost during the flood and damages totaled $1,306,000. August 1933 - The storm of August 2 and 3, 1933, occurred over a 175 square mile area upstream from Franktown, Unofficial rainfall amounts varied from 3 to 9 inches and occurred over a nine hour period between 6:00 P.M. on August 2 and 3:00 A.M. on August 3, in the then existing Castlewood Dam and Reservoir area. Water overtopped the crest of the dam and the structure failed at about midnight, causing a flood wave to move down the valley. The peak discharge is estimated to have ranged from 126,000 cubic feet per second downstream from the dam to about 16,500 cubic feet per second near the South Platte River. Loss of the dam cut off water supplies to about 3,000 acres of land, the basin suffered a severe recession and many families moved from the area. OTHER FLOOD STUDIES AND DATA No other flood studies have been prepared for the streams included in this report. A concurrent study for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Insurance Administration, will be completed in 1978. Engineering data for the following streams, generated by the HUD-FIA study, was used in preparation of this report: 1. Happy Canyon Creek - 3.5 miles upstream from the Douglas-Arapahoe County line 2. Badge r Gulch 3. Newl in Gulch 4. Baldwin Gulch 5. Sulphur Gulch 6. Ta llman Gulch August 1945 - A large storm mass moved into southeastern Colorado on August 5, 1945, extending over the Cherry Creek basin. Unofficial rainfall amounts varied from 2 to 5 inches and severe flooding occurred along Cherry Creek in the Franktown-Parker area. The gaging station at Melvin recorded a peak discharge of 10,700 cubic feet per second, Total damages were estimated to be $200,000. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, completed a study of Cherry Creek in October, 1976. The report, "Flood Plain Information, Cherry Creek, Cherry Creek Lake through Franktown, Colorado", does not contain information or data specific to the streams included in this study, but was used to delineate the flood plains at the confluences of the streams with Cherry Creek. June 1965 - On June 16, 1965, a major storm centered over the Plum Creek and Cherry Creek basins. Rainfall amounts reported by unofficial sources ranged up to 10 inches, Peak discharges along Cherry Creek were 1,000 cubic feet per second upstream from Franktown, 39,900 cubic feet per second near Melvin, and 58,000 cubic feet per second at Cherry Creek dam, An 4