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<br />2.2 Community Description <br /> <br />Central City is an historic gold mlnlng city in the Rocky Mountains <br />eastern slopes located in southeastern Gilpin County, approximately <br />40 miles west of Denver, Colorado. The boundaries of the city <br />encompass approximately one square mile. It is built along the <br />four major gulches, Eureka, Nevada, Spring, and Gregory Gulches. <br />The City of Black Hawk borders Central City to the east, and <br />unincorporated areas of Gilpin County border Central City on the <br />north, south, and west. The population in the City of Central City <br />was 335 in 1990. <br /> <br />Early development of the city was very rapid due to discovery of <br />gold in the area in 1859. Steep slopes and rugged mountains <br />resul ted in town development along and over gulches which thread <br />through surrounding hills. <br /> <br />Average annual precipitation over the study basin is approximately <br />17 inches, of which over 50 percent occurs in the period of May <br />through August. Mean temperatures range from a high of <br />approximately 630F in July to a low of 280F in January, with an <br />annual mean of approximately 430F. <br /> <br />A soil survey has not been prepared for the Central City area by <br />the U,S. Soil Conservation Service, However, detailed soil <br />information has been obtained by Empire Laboratories in conjunction <br />with a study for a proposed water supply reservoir (Reference 8). <br />The report indicates that the top soil is silty and underlaid with <br />silty sand soil. <br /> <br />2.3 Principal Flood Problems <br /> <br />Development over natural drainageways are the cause of flooding in <br />the City of Central City. During summer, thunderstorm sedimentation <br />in the streets occurs. <br /> <br />Floods in the area are generally caused by intense cloudbursts or <br />thunderstorms during the period of May through August. The steep <br />and narrow nature of the topography combined with the high- <br />intensity, short-duration storms results in floods with high peaks <br />that last only a short time. With development concentrated <br />immediately adjacent to the waterways, little time is left for <br />flood warning and no opportunity to avoid flood damage once <br />rainfall begins. Historic flood events of the area are listed in <br />Table 1. <br /> <br />The peak snowfall month is April. While spring snowmelt undoubtedly <br />contributes to full-flowing streams, it is not the primary cause of <br />flooding. The snowmelt runoff is characterized by periods of high <br />flow and marked diurnal fluctuation. <br /> <br />Central City is typical of many small mountain communities located <br />along streams or gulches in Colorado, in that it experiences almost <br /> <br />2 <br />