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<br />current si>0tters are ",ellll>crs of the Houlder County Fire !lepart",e'lt, ..ho
<br />..atch far forest ftres 1'1 the roountainaus area west of Boalder. It 10
<br />exp..cterlthatthespotternetw<>rk..lllhellloreeffectlveaspartofan
<br />ednin.- "r""nllatlon th,,:\ it ,",o"ld he 'Is a slngle~purpo~~ "rg"nhation.
<br />(Telephone conversation with Mr. Don Fraser, Boulder County Communi-
<br />cat io"s Dep~rt<nent, 11 ~",cernber 1979 "od Mr. Mike Serlet, PuhlIc '~orks
<br />Departlllent, tS September 1981).
<br />
<br />. Redu<ldant data collectio" 15 need~d in ca~e o"e system is out.
<br />. \lith increasing autolOated equip!:lent, there has beeL1 decr.,asing
<br />iL1ter~st by rernaini~~ volunteer ob5~rver$.
<br />. Ni~n"time readings ",ere difficult "t staU gages.
<br />
<br />PROBLEM AREA
<br />
<br />)fQ_qt of the I<srning systems described in the precedin,g page~ ar~
<br />newly in~tatled. The ..arnIng systems in ~he Susquehanna River ba.In,
<br />ho..ever, have been in e"i.H<!~ce for so,ne time and an evaluation "'aa
<br />perfor~ed by an Inter-Agency ,ask Force to deter~ine their
<br />effectivanes".(16)
<br />
<br />Some of the ftndin,gs are a~<n~rI~@d below.
<br />
<br />Th@proble",araaforflashfloc>diogisdeflnednotonlybythe
<br />e"tent of flooding but also by the Hilling of runoff. In the available
<br />lIterature, flash floods hav<! been defIned a~ those having lead ti~s
<br />ranging from a few hours to 12 hours. Plate 3 indlcates runoff tlme
<br />for mountain floods in the Cach"- 1" Poudre River ba~i~. It "-ppeara
<br />that flash fleod warnIng would be of value fer the ~ountain area and
<br />for the plains reach of th@ Cach@ la Poudre River a& far downstrea~ a~
<br />the city of Fort Collln~.
<br />
<br />. Observer report" take longer to tran~",H than automated
<br />reports.
<br />. Backup s~aff gage" should be i~stalled at all autom"ted gage
<br />$t..ttons fer public referenc".
<br />. Telephone failure t~ the most seriuu~ (leftclency of the
<br />force""t syst~rn.
<br />
<br />POTENTIAL PLAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS
<br />
<br />rOTENTIAL BENEFITS
<br />
<br />.
<br />.
<br />
<br />~ew "",thuds uf ~o'n""_H\lcaUo" "-re becomIng more cost df"ctlve.
<br />
<br />Nu econom.lc bendi' analy"ls of ., flash flood "'''tning syst.... '"~s
<br />
<br />S'ltcllite :n~."",i5;~0" "':J.~ ~",bj"c~ :'0 ~:J.terr,,~:io:1. by ",lSr. '..i"d
<br />
<br />conducted.
<br />
<br />TO asseSS the ,"orth of a "y8t~m, a qualitative a~sea"ment
<br />
<br />at thegro\lnd"tatton.
<br />. Sstellite nr combtned raddr and .""ellit" ima~cry Is still
<br />being developed.
<br />. R<l,note ,'-oTllputer f"tilltle~ ',,~r.. not "1"ay_, av"ilah1e due u
<br />sh,"tdo"'".
<br />
<br />of accompli.hments ~as made,
<br />
<br />A flA.h flood ",arnI<lgghould conttibute tosavinggOf l,fewithin
<br />the ~J:ob1em area. The need for thh h particularly great "lOllg the
<br />~"in stem of the Cache la Poudre Rl~er in the mountain" down"trea~ from
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />':'he roo"t effective flash n"od ""rni,,~ sys"e" is that "perate~
<br />
<br />Spencer Height~.
<br />
<br />This area ls herein"fter referred to a. th~ poudrc
<br />
<br />at the local level.
<br />
<br />";anyon or t[\~ ,""ill sL~"'. The e":i;;:oo~~ p~r=~"M "r ~..mi~..r'""t\"t\t
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />Co~nti"B s'lOuld handle flash flOod ,",,,rnbg~ '~h~n ~h,'r" L; les.,
<br />
<br />populat~on that would be benefitted by a flash flond ~arning in the
<br />l'oudre Canyon ls tndicated in ~abl" l4.
<br />
<br />thnn P ~ours of lead time.
<br />
<br />;"
<br />
<br />"
<br />
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