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<br />Flooded Are~s. Flood Profilee. and Cross Sections
<br />Pl~tee S t~roug~ 10 e~o~ the appro~imate aresS along
<br />the Rio Grande t~Bt ~ould be inundated by the Standard Project
<br />flood end lntermedhtll Regional flood. T~e aotuel limits of thc"e
<br />overflo~ aress on the ground may very "lightly from those aho~n
<br />on the map because the contour intorvaI and scale of tho map do
<br />not permit precise plotting of the flooded area boundaries.
<br />Plates 11 through 14 s~o~ the high ~Dter profilee for
<br />the Standard Project end lntermsdiate Regional Floods. Acourate
<br />estimates of ~ater aurfaoe elevations mey ba obtained from these
<br />plates.
<br />
<br />June 5. 19(15
<br />Tho peak dlechurgs of this flood, as recorded at Del
<br />Norte, ~aS 10,000 cubic feet por socond. Severo damage sustained
<br />in Crsede and along Alamoso Creak included the "as~in9 BlUSY of tlUO
<br />bridgeD, 75 faet of railroad track, and a 9~loon in Creede. T~e
<br />~onte Viat~ Journal, on June 10, reported that the full o~ten~ uf
<br />damage "'00 unknolUn, but ~,,: eatimated to be in th" ~;'ousands of
<br />dollarD. Damago to t~e Monte Vista area was not recorded.
<br />
<br />Plate 15 eho"'s three croes sections t~8t are typical
<br />of the 10 sections surveyed in the Rio Grende study resoh. Ths
<br />locations of ell sections are sho",n on the referenced plates, ee
<br />well sa tha elsvations and extent of overflo",s of the Standard
<br />Projoct Flood and Intermediate Regional Flood.
<br />
<br />OctoberS. 1911
<br />The peak flow of this flood "'as recorded as 18,000 cu-
<br />bic feet. per second at Dol Norte. "DelNorte.i'lonteVista, and
<br />~hs lnt",."ning rl'/or re'lchm, cuffe rod con~.iJ~:;J~'~ '"_~~e eS did
<br />t~e reachos below town. :rope of various sorte including quantitiee
<br />of hay woro "aahed a""Y"'" according to the Alamosa Couri"rof
<br />October 14, 1911. The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad be_
<br />t~'c~n Manta I'i::: ~nd c..c~ ie W"D closed OS 1,500 feet of reilroad
<br />tr~ck and one bridge weehed_out. hcthough tho peak dicchorgc at
<br />MontoVi(lto",,,,,.notrecorded,ithllOb!l,,,,cstimetedasbeingin
<br />uXcess Of l4,000 cubic fest per cecond.
<br />
<br />Flood Oescriotions
<br />Following are descriptions of known large floods that
<br />have occurred on t~e Rio Grande in tha vicinity of Monte Vista.
<br />These are bssed on newspaper accounts. historical records. and
<br />field investigatinne.
<br />
<br />50rinolB84
<br />The flood occurred in tho opring of 1884 following a
<br />winter of exceoslve enowfall. Sts9a~ attained and areus inun_
<br />dated, ~e described by rellable old-eat tIers who lUitnno~ed t~e
<br />event, indic";te s m"gnitudo in e~ces~ of any recorded flood. By
<br />cornparlng tho informst1on avsilabls on the 1864 f1ooclIltHhsi,"i-
<br />lar d~te ror floods of record, the peak discharge at Alemosa is
<br />I!stirnst"d to hsvs been 20,000 cubIc faetpersecond. According
<br />to the Coloredo Stste Engineer's 1911 Annual Report. tne flood
<br />",ss caused by melting sna", and rainfall.
<br />
<br />June 79. 1927
<br />Durin9 t~la flaod, the peek flo"'9 reoarded at Del Norte,
<br />fflante Vlets, end Alemoea wore 15,000, 18,500. and 14,000 cubic
<br />fset per seaand, rAspectively. The Monte Viets Journal's headline,
<br />on July 1, ~e"d: "Rio Grande Reao~es flood St<lgo and Great Damage
<br />Results to Roads. Bridges, and Crops."
<br />"Anumb..r of cloudbursts end Inc800ant r"insfor four
<br />
<br />days on the Rio Grando watorshod hovo couced the Rio Grande to go
<br />on a ramp3gedwring thepaot w!lek, flooding the 10wlandssnJ riv""
<br />ranches, ~nd covering approacheD to the rivcr brldges. Twe brldges
<br />nesr the ilio GranJ.. Res..rvai.. "...... ~"shsJ-out ss ",sr,; ~hrs" o~ha"s
<br />
<br />lUS.t of Del Norts. The Wagon Wh~~l Gop bridge nppro~chee "'Ore SO
<br />badly floon"d thst rivercrassings in this sre" ",ere moda over the
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