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<br />, <br />, <br />", <br /> <br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />l, <br /> <br />': <br /> <br />Communitv Description <br /> <br />Fremont County is located in south-central Colorado in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. <br />Canon City is the county seat of Fremont County and is located approximately 35 air miles <br />southwest of Colorado Springs, and approximately 35 air miles northwest of Pueblo. Highway 50 <br />is the major east-west highway that serves the county. The county is bounded by Park and Teller <br />Counties to the north, EI Paso and Pueblo Counties to the east, Custer County to the south, and <br />Saguache and Chaffee Counties to the west. The area studied for the PIS is the unincorporated areas <br />of Fremont County as of September 29, 1989. Section 2.2 of the PIS provides additional <br />information regarding the community. <br /> <br />Watershed Description <br /> <br />The Arkansas River flows through Fremont County and through or near such towns as Howard, <br />Coaldale, Cotopaxi, Texas Creek, Parkdale, Canon City, Florence, and Portland. The headwaters of <br />the Arkansas River are located in Lake County, which is to the north and west of Fremont County. <br />There are several large tributaries that join the Arkansas River within Fremont County, including <br />Texas Creek, Grape Creek, and Hardscrabble Creek. A large percentage of the county consists of <br />National Forest and BLM public lands. The Arkansas River watershed within Fremont County <br />ranges in elevation from about 5,000 feet to over 13,000 feet. Section 2.2 of the PIS provides <br />additional information regarding the watershed. <br /> <br />FIoodinl! Problems and FIoodinl! Historv <br /> <br />Flooding in Fremont County generally occurs during the spring and summer months as a result of <br />flooding from thunderstorms, general rainstorms, rapid snowmelt runoff, or a combination thereof. <br />Snowmelt flooding is characterized by moderate peak flows with a large volume of water over a <br />relatively long duration. Rainfall flooding is characterized by higher peak flows with a smaller <br />volume of water over a shorter duration. The streams in the lower elevations of the county are <br />prone to flash flooding caused by thunderstorms, while rapid melting of heavy snowpack is the <br />predominant cause of flooding in streams in the higher elevations. <br /> <br />There have been numerous high water events in the past on the Arkansas River and its tributaries in <br />Fremont County. The most recent high water occurred during 1995. A significant peak flow was <br />recorded on the Arkansas River at the Wellsvil\e gage. Many tributaries and smaller streams in the <br />county experienced high water during 1995 as well. Significant flooding in the county also <br />occurred in 1909, 1921, 1932, 1941, 1948, 1949, and 1965. Section 2.3 of the PIS provides <br />additional information regarding the flooding problems and flooding history. <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />I <br />~ <br />