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<br />the roadbed on many stretches of the D. & R.G. Railroad. In the <br /> <br /> <br />Silverton area, the flood caused $33,000 damage to the water and <br /> <br /> <br />sewer facilities, and general destruction of roadways and camp- <br />grounds. <br /> <br />2. La plata County <br /> <br /> <br />Information on flooding in the Durango study area prior to the <br /> <br /> <br />turn of the century is practically nonexistant. Detailed infor- <br /> <br /> <br />mation on the earlier historical floods is very limited because <br /> <br /> <br />streamflow records were not made, newspaper accounts were very <br /> <br /> <br />sketchy, and eye-witness accounts are not available. Large floods <br /> <br /> <br />occurred in 1896, 1909, 1911, 1927, 1937, 1941, 1946, 1949, 1970 <br /> <br /> <br />and.1972. The October 5, 1911 flood is considered the most severe <br /> <br /> <br />known in the Durango area. During that flood, a peak flow of <br /> <br /> <br />25,000 cubic feet per second was recorded with high flows also <br /> <br /> <br />occurring on Junction and Lightner Creeks. Major snowmelt floods <br /> <br /> <br />have occurred on the Animas River in May, 1941 and June, 1949. <br /> <br /> <br />A rainstorm falling on melting snow in June, 1927 produced flows <br /> <br /> <br />of 20,000 cubic feet per second. Cloudbursts have caused numerous <br /> <br /> <br />floods in the unincorporated areas near Durango from Junction and <br /> <br /> <br />Lightner Creek. The largest flood on Lightner and Junction Creeks <br /> <br /> <br />occurred on October 20, 1972, with peak flows being 2,830 and 1,780 <br /> <br /> <br />cubic feet per second respectively. Dry Gulch flood flows are not <br /> <br /> <br />available. Past floods have disrupted highway and railroad traffic <br /> <br /> <br />and communication services, drowned livestock, damaged and <br /> <br /> <br />destroyed agricultural lands, roads, bridges, buildings, the sewage <br /> <br /> <br />disposal plant and the State Fish hatchery. Several persons have <br /> <br />-8- <br />