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<br />~ <br /> <br />In addition. the education program for the public will be expanded. Mailers will be sent in <br />the utility bills to explain the emergency notification system and what individuals should do <br />In an emergency. <br /> <br />The expansion of the local flood warning system is a cost effective, comprehensive plan that <br />includes as an essential component a reduction in the loss of life and property. This is <br />accomplished by having more accurate data that will increase the length of warning time in <br />which they City can respond to take protective measures. <br /> <br />B. Description of the Problem <br /> <br />This section describes the drainage basins that impact Fort Collins and their associated <br />flooding history. The list also includes potential types of flooding in Fort Collins: 1) <br />drainage basin, 2) dam failure, and 3) local flash flooding. Finally, 4) is a section devoted to <br />a detailed description of the 1997 flood, arguably the most severe flood in the history of Fort <br />Collins. <br /> <br />I. Cache La Poudre River <br /> <br />The drainage area of the Poudre River above Fort Collins in the Rocky Mountains is <br />approximately 1,129 square miles. The steep drainage basin and channel make the <br />Poudre River subject to flash flooding. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Notable floods occurred on the Cache La Poudre River in 1844, 1864, 1884, 1891, <br />1904, 1923, 1930, 1938, 1951, 1961, 1983, and 1995. The three largest floods <br />occurred in 1864, 1891. and ]904. The flood peak of 1904 was approximately 57,000 <br />cubic feet per second (cfs). During the 1904 flood, approximately 150 houses were <br />swept away, and all the bridges were destroyed except one. Nearly $150,000 (1904) <br />in damage occurred within Larimer County in that flood and two residents lost their <br />lives. The April 30, 1999 flooding was approximately a ten-year flood. The <br />estimated discharge was approximately 8,000cfs at the Poudre River Lincoln Street <br />gage in Fort Collins. <br /> <br />Most floods on the Cache La Poudre River within Fort Collins and the plains area of <br />the basin have caused damage to crops, ljvestock, farm improvements, machinery, <br />irrigation structures, and road and railroad structures. Only the largest floods have <br />caused damage to residential, commercial, and industrial property in Fort Collins. <br />The April 30. 1999 flood caused some damage to bike trails, but there was no <br />damage to residential or commercial structures. <br /> <br />2. Spring Creek <br />Spring Creek is a right bank tributary to the Cache La Poudre River and flows from <br />west to east through Fort Collins. The Spring Creek basin has a drainage area of 30 <br />square miles. The upper 18 square miles of the basin is controlled by Horsetooth <br />Reservoir which was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1954. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />10 <br />