FLOOD08336

• County: Chaffee
• Community: Poncha Springs, Salida
• Stream Name: South Arkansas River
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Floodplain Information Report - Lower South Arkansas River
• Date: 4/1/1979
• Prepared For: Chaffee County
• Prepared By: WRC Engineering, Inc.
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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Wendell F. Hutchinson, D.V.M., a native of Salida, was interviewed

concerning the flood history of the South Arkansas River. Dr. Hutchinson's

input is based on his own recollections and that of the older members of

the Hutchinson family. The Hutchinson family was one of the original home-

steaders near'Salida, Colorado. Specific input provided by Dr. Hutchinson

includes:

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- In 1923, Dr. Hutchinson's mother-in-law remembers water inundating
much of the bottomland along the river. This flooding was mostly
caused by heavy rainfall. A number of bridges on the South Arkan-
sas River were washed out.

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- Dr. Hutchinson recalls the heavy snowfall and snowpack during the
years 1931 and 1932.

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- The highest flood occurred in the year 1957 and was due to rapid
snowmelt. The ditches diverting from the South Arkansas River car-
ried almost twice as much water as compared with other years, The
river flow stayed high during most of the summer. A farm bridge
on the Hutchinson Ranch was lost and County Road 125 bridge was
threa tened.

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- In 1962, the river flow was very high and it almost washed out the
bridge on County Road 105.

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- In 1965, Dr. Hutchinson recalls heavy snowfall.

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- In 1973, water escaped the river channel and flowed onto the Hutch-
inson field.

- A low area below Briscoe Ditch has been subject to repeated flooding
in the past.

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- Beaver dams, log jams at bends, and log jams at bridges further in-
crease the flooding hazard on the South Arkansas River. Dr. Hutch-
inson'recalls debris problems occurring at the County Road 125 bridge.

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- The bridge leading to the Salida water storage reservoirs ,has not
been threatened in the past. The County Road 111 bridge was rebuilt
in 1977 (1), although Dr. Hutchinson does not recall that the bridge
was damaged by high water.

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- Land below the Tenassee Ditch headgate and west of County Road 110
has been flooded in the past. Also, the land near the Bale Ditch 1
and Bale Ditch 2 headgates has been under high water.

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Mr. Roy L.Jones was able to provide flood history for the lower South

Arkansas River reach near Salida. Mr. Jones is a native and has lived

adjacent to the river for 75 years. lIis comments are as follows:

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- Mr. Jones agrees that the flooding of 1957 was the highest that
he has seen. No main county road bridges were washed out, but
several low-level private bridges and foot bridges were lost.
lie does not recall serious road inundation at County Road 105.

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- Rainfall has not caused flooding nearly as severe as floods resul-
ting from snowmelt. A cloudburst storm in 1973 produced localized
flooding of the lowlands near Salida. (Weather Bureau records
recorded 0.51" of rain, July 15, 1973, after several previous days
of rain.)

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- The previous bridge at S.H, 50 had much more conveyance than the
existing arch culverts. Debris may cause problems with the new
structures~

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- The dikes on the south side of the river at S.H. 50 were constructed
when the highway was rebuilt in 1940. Mr. Jones does not recall
flooding of the low areas to the south since the dike construction.

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Mr. Donald Denoyer, owner of Denoyer Greenhouses, was also interviewed.

Mr. Denoyer recalls the 1957 flood causing considerable difficulty near his

property. However, he does not recall the County Road 107 bridge nearby

getting washed out.

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