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<br />PASTFLOOOS <br /> <br />Fort Colli ns area. Areas ot i n~enso Dreoip Itotion ore picked up ~y <br />radar loc~ted at LiolOn, Colorado. T~e Weather Service Forec~st Office <br />at (lenw,lr, in odd it ion to routi ne four times da i Iv forecasts for t~o <br />aroa, makes soeci,,1 forecasts of severe stor~s and issues flood warninqs <br />and smlWmelt advisories as required. <br /> <br />5~mrr,ary of ~tsTor;cal Floods <br /> <br />Flood fig~tlng and emergency evacuation pl~ns - ThorB is <br />noci+y flood disasterol<ln, assucl't, at Fort:::ollins. The local <br />Civi I ~efense off Ice coordir>ates D lanned disaster "ctlv ities of a >lenera I <br />n<lturedndtheyme'ltperlodicallytoreviewdisastorolans. Th'lyfeel <br />thaT they have a~equate organization and emergency equi~ont to meet any <br />contingency. This report shou Id be helnfu I in future d i sa~ter D I"nnl ng <br />insofar as potential flood threat isconceroo(j. <br /> <br />~ota~le floods on the Cache la Poudre River in the studY <br />roach occurred in 1(\44, 111M, ISIi4, 1891, 1904, 1923, and 1130. T~e~c <br />wereap;;arentlytI1reelarselloodsolcornparabIQsizQinI86t., 1891,and <br />1904. All of t~ese floods De"ked near 21 .OM cub ie feet por second. <br />The 1904floodwasorobablytheworstllood in terms of dollar dem<.lges. <br />No flood in recent vears has sericusly threatoned tho cltv of Fort <br />Collins. Itlsremarkabie, in view of the three large floods Inapertoo <br />of 40 years that the highest oook discharge in the study reach in tho <br />pilst 42 years was 6,ISOcublc tcat per second in 1938. <br /> <br />Flood Records <br /> <br />~'\lter-18 I s torago on the I lood pia I n - Often f I oatab I e <br />moterial stored on tho 1100(1 Dla 1 n Is '~ashnd 2May dur; nq f loodinq to co Ileet <br />at points dClWnstrcnm and ;mpedfllloodfla"s. The flood nla;n in the <br />:acho la Poudre Rlvor st~~y roach for this report is relalively clear 01 <br />SUCh"",terlalSilndnonroolems inthlsresrectaraantlcinated. Where <br />stor"dllQ<Jta!:>lnmate.-!nl is nrnsontonthe flood plain tying Itd<"Wn <br />in some fashion would insure against its creatlnn additional flood hazard. <br />I.lran<::~'es, logs and other deb"l s w"shed dewn f r"", upstream r~ach"s i" fhe <br />C10Untalns can also cause rrdJlems by catching on bridgo piers and red lfcing <br />the natural Ilaw opening. <br /> <br />Annuai peak flo.;s for the Cache laPoudreRivernoar <br />Fort CoI I ins are avai I~b Ie fr()C\ 11. 5. r.eolCXJical Survey records surr1e- <br />mented by thOse of the ColoradO State Cngineor. T~ese flew records date <br />Irom 1382 to tho presant. The Cache la Poudre ~Iver through Fort COllins <br />begins to exceed chilnnel capacitYil'ta peak discharge of ooout5,oa Oc.l.s. <br />Table 3 shews annual peak di5charg05 In excoss of channel capacity at the <br />gage u~stred'll from Fort Collins, '~hlch Is Indicative of reak flD/5 through <br />the city. ~,jcst of the h I stor I oa I flood na rrat i v e for "F I cod Dese r I pt Ion s" <br />w.15 taken Irom U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 997, "Floods in <br />Colorado". <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />" <br />