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. . . STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION Community Descriotion Westcliffe is located in central of Colorado in west central Custer County. It is located approximately 32 miles southwest of Canon City. The area studied for the FHBM is the incorporated areas of the Town of Westcliffe as of August 13, 1976. Watershed Descriotion Grape Creek, Mill Gulch and South Tributary to Grape Creek originates in Custer County southwest of Westcliffe. Grape creek begins at the south central border of the county at elevations around 12,000 feet. The creek flows northerly from it's origin through Custer County to its confluence with the Arkansas River upstream of the City of Canon City. Mill Gulch and South tributary to Grape Creek both originate approximately 4 miles west of the Town of Westcliffe in the lower foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Range. Floodinl!: Problems and Floodinl!: Historv Convective type cloudburst storms sometimes lasting for several hours, can be expected to occur in the Westcliffe area during the summer months. The cloudburst storms can cause high peak flows with a small water volume over a short duration. Local street flooding has occurred in Westcliffe during the summer months as a result of runoff from thunderstorm activity in the area. Grape Creek, Mill Gulch and South Tributary to Grape Creek has been a source of local flooding problems in the past. Flooding in the foothills area of Custer County generally occurs in the spring and early summer as a result of rapid melting of the mountain snowpack. Snowmelt flooding is characterized by moderate peak flows and large volumes of water over a long duration. The peak flows have a noticeable diurnal fluctuation. Snowmelt flooding may occasionally be augmented by rainfall. Flooding from general rainstorms may also occur during the months of June through September. General rainfall flooding is characterized by higher peak flows with a moderate volume and a moderate duration. Flooding is more severe when antecedent rainfall has resulted in saturated ground conditions or the ground is frozen and infiltration is minimal. Research of the study area yielded minimal information regarding major flooding events in Westcliffe. In spite of the long history of human activity in Custer County, there are no historical accounts of major flooding on Grape Creek, Mill Gulch and South Tributary to Grape Creek. There have been, however, occurrences of high water in the past.