FLOOD06858 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

City of Colorado Springs Flood Hllzard Miligalion Plan Community DesClliptions The City of Colorado Springs is a front range community located in the south central por- tion of th,~ state. It is the Icounty seat for El Paso county. Colorado Springs was a planned community for wealthy people suffering from tuberculosis. The discovery of gold and later the establishment of many military installa- tions direetly affected the development of the city. The present economy is based on the presence of military installations, tourism, and the electronics industry. Major tourist attractions of the area include Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs, the Olympic Training Center, the Air Force Academy, and the five star Broadmoor HoteL Colorado Springs had one of the highest growth rates in the nation between 1970 and 1980 and continues to grow today. Housing developments in Colorado Springs are for the most part contained alon~~ the Pine, Kettle, Cottonwood, and Sand Creek basins, Streams Affecting Colorado SprinlCS The following information regarding streams and drainage areas is provided by the Septem- ber 1992 flood insurance study of Colorado Springs by the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency: Colorado Springs is subjeet to flooding from the Fountain and Monument Creeks and twelve of their tributaries. Fountain Creek originates approximately five miles north- west of Green Mountain Falls in Teller County. 1rhe headwaters are fed from glacial snowpacks and springs of the alpine canyons of Pikes Peak, Glacial deposits remain in many of lGhe valleys above the 9,500-foot ele- StreOllUJ in tlu. Colorado Spring. Area vation. The aspen, spruce, and pine covered narrow canyons are straight, steep-walled, and well-drained. The bedrock creek channels are boulder-strewn and average five feet in width above the foothills. The foothills are a narrow transition from the mountains to the high plains. The transitional area varies from rough parallel ridges to nar- row, gently sloping mesas with pine, pinion, cedar, and oak cover. The stream emerges on the high plains in Colorado Springs. South of the city, the watershed to the west of Fountain Creek is in the foothills while the eastern watershed is on the high plains. The rolling high plains terrain is rough, broken, and sparsely vegetated, The sparse vegetation is typical of the semi -arid region and consists of brush, cactus and native grasses, The flood plain is comprised of narrow-strip irrigated farms, cottonwood trees, salt cedar, and other thick undergrowth, Camp Creek originates in the Pike National Forest northwest of Colorado Springs and 2