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<br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Community DescriDtion <br />Town of Walden is located in north central Colorado just on the east side of the Continental Divide <br />and about 25 miles south of the Colorado-Wyoming stateline. Walden is the County Seat of <br />Jackson County, and serves as the population center for the County. The estimated population for <br />the Town is 944, and the estimated population for the entire county is 1,771 (July 1997 estimates <br />from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs). Highway 125 is the major north-south highway <br />that serves the community. The area studied for the FIRM is the incorporated area of the Town of <br />Walden as of August 5,1986. <br /> <br />Watershed DescriDtion <br />The North Platte River watershed originates in Jackson County on the eastern slope of the <br />Continental Divide. The Michigan River and Illinois River, which are major tributaries to the <br />North Platte River in Jackson County, flow adjacent to the Town from southeast to northwest. The <br />confluence of those two rivers is located just to the northwest of the Town. The drainage areas of <br />the Michigan River and the Illinois River at Walden are 180 square miles and 240 square miles, <br />respectively. The headwaters of the Michigan River and the Illinois River originate at the <br />Continental Divide with elevations in excess of 12,000 feet. The channel elevations of the two <br />rivers near the Town are approximately 8,040 feet. The North Platte River drainage flows into <br />Wyoming and eventually joins the South Platte River in western Nebraska. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Climatic data for Walden is available from the Colorado Climate Center. Monthly summaries of <br />precipitation, snowfall, and extreme precipitation are provided in the Appendix for calendar years <br />1938 through 1997. <br /> <br />Floodinl!: Problems and Floodinl!: Historv <br />Flooding on the Michigan River and the Illinois River upstream from Walden normally occurs <br />during the spring and early summer months due to rapid melt of mountain snowpack. Flooding on <br />tributaries in the county may occur in the summer months as a result of intense localized <br />thunderstorms or general rainstorms. A combination of rainfall and snowmelt can sometimes prove <br />to be the worst flooding scenario for Colorado's mountain streams. The largest annual peak flows <br />on the Michigan and Illinois Rivers have almost always happened in April, May, and June. <br /> <br />There have been a number of high water events on the Michigan and Illinois Rivers, however no <br />major/catastrophic floods have been recorded in the Town. Walden is situated near the confluence <br />of two major streams, which can prove to be disastrous for some communities, however the high <br />elevation of the North Park valley and the protection afforded by the surrounding mountains has <br />allowed Walden to avoid serious flash flooding. <br /> <br />Previous Studies <br />The initial publication of flood hazards in Walden occurred on June 28, 1974. Revisions to the <br />Flood Hazard Boundary Map were published on January 16, 1976, and the Flood Insurance Rate <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />2 <br />