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City of Colorado Springs Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan Sand Creek. Note - Drainage Cro..e. Roadway order of stream channels that convey the nor- mal flow of water from smaller watersheds contained within the basin. Flooding results when the flow of water becomes greater than the carrying capacity of the individual stream channel. Rate afrise, peak discharge (magni- tude), duration, and frequency of floods, are all a function of physical features and weather conditions which contribute to the volume of water in the river system. Snowmelt flood: Snowmelt flooding typically occur May through June. Generally this oc- curs when there are warm Spring tempera- tures creating a fast snowmelt and/or a combination of spring run off and rain fall over the affected watershed. Serious flooding can result when a heavy spring rain accompa- nies a snowmelt in May and June. Flash flood: Flash floods result from intense summer thunderstorms. This flood event is characterized by an intense cloudburst, a sud- den rise in stream level, short duration, and little or no warning. Typically the flash flood season in Colorado stretches from June to September. General rain floods: General rain floods are I caused by general rainfall events that occur over a wide geographic area for several days, totally saturating the shallow soils. These floods are characterized by a slow, steady rise in the stream level and a peak discharge of long duration. Because of the slow rate of stream rising and the time available for warn- ing, few lives are usually lost in this type of flood event. I Dam Failure: Severe sudden flooding can also occur in the Colorado Springs area from a dam failure. There are 18 dams in the surrounding vicinity. Dam failure is generally related to extreme snowmelt or rainfall. Early Flood Warning System Work toward an early flood warning system started in 1986 and was a posi tive step toward flood preparedness. It is used and supported by Colorado Springs, El Paso county, and the surrounding towns of Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls; Fountain, and Palmer Lake. The base station is located in Colorado Springs. Designed to cover 580 square miles in western El Paso county, the system con- tained 26 remote sensing stations, 20 precipi- tation gauges and 6 stream level gauges. Data is relayed by radio from the remote sensors to the main base station at the Regional Build. ing in Colorado Springs. Dan Bunting, the flood plain manager, maintains and operates the Early Flood Warning System. Data col- lected is forwarded to the National Weather Service at the city airport. The system contin- ues to be updated and now includes two coun- ties and in excess of fifty sensing stations and gauges. " 6 .J