FLOOD07545

• County: Chaffee
• Community: Unincorporated Chaffee County
• Stream Name: Arkansas River
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Flood Insurance Study - Chaffee County Unincorporated Areas
• Date: 3/4/1987
• Prepared For: Chaffee County
• Prepared By: FEMA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Historic FEMA Regulatory Floodplain Information

as reported in the Flood Plain Information Report, Lower South
Arkansas River (Reference 1), !the Flood Plain Information Report,
South Arkansas River/poncha C~eek (Reference 2), and the ~
Insurance Study, City of Saliqa, Colorado (Reference 3).

The hydrologic and hydraulic ~nalyses for Chalk and Cottonwood
Creeks were performed by the q.S. Soil Conservation Service (SCS)
as reported in the Flood Hazaid Studies for Chalk and Cottonwood
Creeks (Reference 4 and 5, respectively) and the Flood Insurance
Study, Town of Buena Vista, C61orado (Reference 6).

1.3 Coordination

On July 2, 1985, FEMA approve~ the preparation of a Flood Insurance
Study for the unincorporated ~reas of Chaffee County, using data .
from the cited reports and st~dies (References 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).
The final community meeting w~s held on February 24, 1986. No
problems were raised at that ~eeting.

2.0 AREA STUDIED

2.1 Scope of Study

This Flood Insurance Study co~ers the unincorporated areas of Chaffee
County, Colorado. The area o~ study is shown on the Vicinity Map
(Figure 1).

The incorporated areas of the ~ity of Salida and TOwns of Poncha
Springs and Buena Vista are n~t included in this study.

The South Arkansas River was ~tudied by detailed methods from its
confluence with the Arkansas ~iver upstream to the TOwn of Poncha
Springs. Poncha Creek was stu~ied by detailed methods from the
Town of poncha Springs corpora~e limits upstream for approximately
0.3 mile. Chalk Creek was stu~ied by detailed methods from its
confluence with the Arkansas ~iver upstream approximately 11.9
miles. Cottonwood Creek was ~tudied by detailed methods from its
confluence with the Arkansas ~iver upstream approximately 6.0 miles,
excluding a portion of this re~ch contained within the corporate
limits of the TOwn of Buena Vi~ta.
i
The areas studied by detailed ~ethods were selected based on the
extent and validity of availa~le hydrologic and hydraulic data.

.

Approximate methods were used ,to study a group of debris fans along
the north side of Chalk Creek between approximately 6.9 and 11.7
miles above its mouth.

Approximate analyses were used! to study those areas having a low
development potential or mini~l flood hazards.

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