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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I. . . . . STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION Community Description The Town of Hot Sulphur Springs, Grand County, is located in west central Colorado and the corporate limits have an area of 430 acres. Grand County is bordered by Jackson County on the north, Routt County on the west, Eagle and Summit Counties on the south, Clear Creek County on the southeast, Gilpin and Boulder Counties on the East, and Larimer County on the northeast. The elevation of the town is approximately 7,700 feet. The Colorado Division of Local Government Demography Section estimated the population of the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs as 600 while the population of Grand County is approximately 12,442. The Town is situated 10 miles west of the Town of Granby and 12 miles southeast of the Lake Granby. Watershed Description The Colorado River flows through the town from the northeast to southwest. At this point, the Colorado River channel is relatively wide and flat, with a channel width of approximately 100 feet and a slope of approximately 15 feet per mile. The floodplain width as shown on the FHBM ranges from 500 to 700 feet. It is covered with thick brush and cottonwood trees for most of the study area, with scattered brush and grass in the upper reaches. The floodplain is bounded on the northwest by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. There are relatively few structures located within the floodplain with much of the floodplain located within Pioneer Park. The Colorado River drainage begins on the Continental Divide at elevations approaching 14,000 feet. Since the FHBM was developed in the mid-1970's, the Town has expanded its limits to the southwest. Heimbaugh Creek flows from south to north through this area and is tributary to the Colorado River just upstream of the Town Limits. The drainage area for Heimbaugh Creek is relatively small and consists of the grass covered ridges south of Town. Floodinl!: Problems and Floodinl!: History Flooding along the Colorado River and Heimbaugh Creek in Hot Sulphur Springs usually occurs from May through September. Floodwaters can occur from snowmelt, intense rainstonns and cloudbursts, or rainstonns augmented by snowmelt. Typically, flood flows in the Colorado occur due to snowmelt while flood flows on Heimbaugh Creek are due to intense rainstonns, which can be augmented by snowmelt. Previous Studies No previous studies other than the FHBM have been conducted for the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs. Community Response to the CWCB Desil!:nation and Approval Process A letter from the CWCB was transmitted to the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs regarding the Board's proposed action for designation and approval of the Grand County FHBMs. CWCB has not received a letter back from the Town requesting designation. 5