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. . . STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION Community Description Fort Morgan is located in eastern Colorado within the South Platte River valley. It is the county seat of Morgan County, and is located approximately 70 air miles northeast of Denver, and approximately 50 air miles southeast of Greeley. Highway 76 is the major east-west highway that serves the city. The city sits along the South Platte River at an elevation of about 4,300 feet. The area studied for the FIRM is the incorporated areas of the City of Fort Morgan as of February 5, 1986. Watershed Description Fort Morgan is located along the South Platte River in central Morgan County. The South Platte River flows through Fort Morgan from west to east and has a generally well defined main channel and floodplain. The channel is typically braided, and lies within a broad, shallow valley ranging in width from about 0.25 miles to 4 miles. The average streambed slope through Morgan County is about 6 to 7 feet per mile. The drainage area of the South Platte River at Fort Morgan is 14,810 square miles_ Most of the major tributaries in Morgan County are right-bank tributaries that flow into the South Platte River from the plains area to the south. Examples of these large tributaries include Kiowa Creek, Bijou Creek, Beaver Creek, and Badger Creek. The headwaters of the South Platte River originate at the Continental Divide with elevations in excess of 14,000 feet. The South Platte River is the major flooding source within the incorporated areas of the city. Floodinl! Problems and Floodinl! History Flooding on the South Platte River normally occurs during the spring and summer months from May through September as a result of flooding from thunderstorms or general rainstorms which can be enhanced by rapid snowmelt runoff from the upper watershed areas. The most frequent flooding seems to occur during the month of June, however annual peaks have been recorded as early as February and as late as October. There have been numerous high water events on the South Platte River at Fort Morgan. The most recent high water occurred during 1995. On June I, 1995 a significant peak flow of 21,000 cfs was recorded on the South Platte River near Kersey, which is in Weld County upstream of Fort Morgan. Significant high water on the South Platte in Morgan County also occurred in 1864, 1894, 1921, 1935, 1949, 1951, 1957, 1965, 1969, 1973, 1980, and 1983. This is by no means a complete accounting of the flood years in this area. A record flow of 123,000 cfs was recorded on June 18, 1965 at the Balzac gage located near the Morgan-Washington County line. Floodwaters originating from Bijou Creek reached Fort Morgan on May 31, 1935 with a reported peak flow of 84,000 cfs. A streamflow gaging station on the South Platte at Fort Morgan was operated from 1944 to 1958. Notable peak flows recorded at that gage include 33,800 cfs on August 3, 1951 and 20,900 cfs on May 16, 1957. 2