FLOOD06511

• Designation Number: 51
• County: Eagle
• Community: Vail
• Stream Name: Gore Creek
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Title: Floodplain Information Report - Gore Creek - Hydrology Technical Addendum
• Date: 8/1/1975
• Designation Date: 1/1/1976
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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Field Investigation
Field investigations have shown the residual soils derived from
the various members of the Minturn Formation possess a moderately high
infiltration rate but the soil mantle is generally shallow (excluding
the valley floor area which has alluvium rather than residual soils)
and becomes saturated during the spring snowmelt process. The tundra
zones above timberline (mostly classified as Rock Outcrop - Cryumbrepts -
Cryaquepts) has a large percentage of rock outcrops which obviously has
a high runoff potential. The portions of the tundra zone that possess
good solid growth of the lichens and mosses typical of the central Rocky
Mountain Tundra zones will retain significant amounts of water'in tempor-
ary storage and long-term storage for the evapo-transpiration process.
Ground Water
The Gore Valley floor is generally filled with alluvial soils con-
taining a high percentage of sands, gravels and cobbles. The ground-
water table is usually found at depths near or somewhat above the mean
seasonal stage level for Gore Creek and slopes upward toward the valley
walls. The permeability of these alluvial soils is very high and except
for a few very localized spots mainly near or within the golf course,
the potential infiltration is not influenced by a high groundwater table.
In the process of establishing the infiltration rates for the
various sub-basins, a review of all available data has been accomplished
as well as field reconnaissance work to establish the probable ranges of
infiltration that can be expected for summer or fall type rainstorms.