FLOOD06791

• County: Hinsdale
• Community: Lake City
• Stream Name: Henson Creek
• Basin: Gunnison
• Title: Henson Creek Flood Control Improvements
• Date: 12/1/1985
• Prepared For: Lake City
• Prepared By: Westwater Engineering
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Project

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Dt~~ " - H\'l'ROLOGY & HYDRAULIC INcORMATION

(Chapters II & III fro;; Floodplain Infonnacion Report)

Ch':'Ylt r< II

STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION

Location
The study area is comprised of 2.7 miles of the Lake Fork of the
Gunnison and 0.33 miles of its tributary, Henson Creek, both of which
are located in the immediate vicinity of Lake City, Colorado. The Lake
Fork of the Gunnison has its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains of
Southwestern Colorado. After its confluence with its main tributary,
Henson Creek near Lake City, it flows northerly for approximately 30 miles
to its confluence with the Gunnison River in Blue Mesa Reservoir. The
total drainage area for the Lake Fork of the Gunnison is over 350 square
miles; its average annual flow is approximately 235 cfs.
The study area is located immediately above, within and below the town of
Lake City, which is the capital seat of Hinsdale County. The estimated
population of Lake City is 500. Most of the drainage area
above the study reaches is within the Uncompahgre or Gunnison National
Forest and on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Plate
shows the drainage basin and regional location of the study area.
Climate
The climate of the drainage area is influenced predominately by the
high elevation and rugged topography of the surrounding San Juan Mountains.
The climate is typically alpine, characterized by cold winters with heavy
snowfall and cool, short summers.
The Town of Lake City has an annual average temperature of about 380,
with an average January temperature of 180 and an average July temperature
of 580. Average annual precipitation in Lake City is 13.4 inches.
Climatic conditions in the upper drainage basin will differ significantly
from that of Lake City because of differences in elevation and
topography. Average annual precipitation in the upper Lake Fork and
Henson Creek Basins is 30.6 inches, of which about one-half falls from
October through April. The prevailing wind is from the west, but a wide
range of surface wind conditions exist as influenced by specific
topographic features. The area experiences occasional summer thunder-
storms which are primarily localized in individual basins.
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