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<br />. . <br /> <br />RUNOFF HISTORY <br /> <br /> <br />Twice in the last 85 years, March 1955 and February 1962, ice jams caused <br /> <br /> <br />water stages in the lihite River to reach the river side of Main Street between <br /> <br />Colorow Street and Birch Avenue. This caused severe damage to homes, businesses, <br /> <br /> <br />and public utilities. Ice jam floodings were experienced as far back as <br /> <br /> <br />1891 when Rangely consisted of a saloon,.blacksmith shop, store and a hotel. <br /> <br /> <br />Local residents who have lived in the area since that time recall that at <br /> <br />least on two other occasions this type of flooding has come to within one or <br /> <br /> <br />) ~ two feet of the 1955 and 1962 flood stages.. In the late summer of 1910 or <br /> <br /> <br />1911, Mr. Nichols, a local store owner, remembers a thunderstorm which produced <br /> <br /> <br />flood stages almost to the 1962 level. Mr. Jones, a motel owner, remembers <br /> <br /> <br />another thunderstorm in the 1920' s (possibly 1929) which raised the lfuite <br /> <br /> <br />River stage to about where the Rangely Hotel is now. That would be about <br /> <br /> <br />one-foot lower than the 1955 flood. Local residents agree that damaging. <br /> <br /> <br />flooding from the river occurs on the average of once every 7 to 10 years, . <br />with a majority occurring from. ice jams. <br /> <br />- <br />I <br /> <br />Two of the largest thunderstorms to produce local f.looding occurred in <br /> <br /> <br />August 1946 and Jufy~1953. Mr. Pollard, a local resident, stated that in <br /> <br /> <br />1946 he waded through 6 to 8 inches of water in a downtown office building. <br /> <br /> <br />On July 31, 1953, 1.42 inches of precipitation fell at the Rangely gage in <br /> <br /> <br />slightly over one hour. The runoff from. this thunderstorm .caused drainage <br /> <br /> <br />ditches to overflow and produced local flooding. The majority of the rlamage <br /> <br /> <br />was due to deposition of sediment, oil, and debris. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />. l"'!W . ... <br />