FLOOD07024

• County: El Paso
• County: Pueblo
• Community: Colorado Springs
• Stream Name: Huerfano River
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Flood Control Huerfano River
• Date: 2/21/1945
• Prepared For: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Mitigation/Flood Warning/Watershed Restoration

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(5) Floods in the basin are generally caused by storms of the
cloudburst type, covering a relatively small. area. Floods originating in
the mountain area above Badito usually dissipate themselves before reMh!ng
the mouth of the river. Generally, storms centering below Badito cause
floods in the lower valley.

(6) Data on magnitude of floods prior to 1923 is not available.
From 1923 to 1939 inclusive, the maximUll1 peak at Badito was 6,000 c.f.s.
on August 6, 1936, and at Underclif.fe was 26,600 c.f.s. en July 28, 1936.

(7) During the 17 years of record, floods in excess of bankful
channel capacity have occured once in 6 years in the upper section, and'
once in 2 years in the lower section. Channel capacity in the uppersec-
tion is 5,000 o.f.s. and in the lower valley is 10,000 c.f.s.

(8) Valuable land subject to overflow has been classified in
the report as follows.

AREA OVERFLOWED
(Acres)

CuI ti vated Land Pasture and . Total
Section'of Valley . Grazing . Overflow
.
Irrigated . Dry Farmed I Land I Area
. . I I
.
Badi to to . . .
Canyon Section 85 . 0 . 750 I 835
. . .
End 0 f Canyon . .
Section to mouth. 130 *30 I 2330 . 2490
.
Total 215 *30 .3080 . 3325
I
* Subject to irrigation when water is available.

There are no publici buildings and only a few farm buildings in the flood
plain. Improvements other than farm buildings are principally fences, irri-
gation headworks and ditohes. Expansion of the irrigated landi~ the flood
plain is unlikely for two reasons; (1) practhiallyall irrigable land is
now being irrigated, and (2) the waters of the river are largely over-
appropriated for irrigation.

Estimated value of the property in the flood plain is shown in
the following table from the report.