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<br />seek higher ground. Three large packing plants and practically <br />all of the lower feeding pens at the Denver Union Stockyards were <br />flooded. Ten acres of railroad yards were flooded to a depth of 1 <br />foot (Reference 4). <br /> <br />A severe storm centered over the Bayou Gulch basin, a tributary to <br />Cherry Creek, during the afternoon of July 28, 1922. Heavy rain- <br />fall was reported to have occurred in an area bounded by lines 3 <br />miles north of Parker, 4 miles west of Cherry Creek, and 1 mile <br />south of Franktown, and by the Douglas-Elbert County line on the <br />east. Unofficial rainfall amounts varied from 1 inch to 3.5 <br />inches and occurred in approximately 2 hours. An estimated peak <br />flow of 8,700 cfs discharged out of Bayou Gulch. The discharge on <br />Cherry Creek, 3 miles north of Parker, was estimated to be 17,000 <br />cfs. Although no damage was experienced in Denver, this was con- <br />sidered a major flood for the upstream part of the basin. <br /> <br />The storm of August 2 and 3, 1933, occurred over a l75-square mile <br />area upstream from Franktown. Unofficial rainfall amounts varied <br />from 3 to 9 inches and occurred over a 9-hour period between 6 <br />p.m. on August 2 and 3 a.m. on August 3. The most intense activ- <br />ity of the storm occurred between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Waters in <br />the then-existing Castlewood Dam and Reservoir reached the spill- <br />way crest around 11 p.m. The inflow was estimated at 35,000 cfs. <br />Water overtopped the crest of the dam and the structure failed at <br />around 12 a.m. The sudden release of water caused a flood wave to <br />move down the valley. The peak discharge is estimated to have <br />ranged from 126,000 cfs downstream of the dam to approximately <br />16,500 cfs near the confluence with the South Platte River. The <br />Cherry Creek Flood Commission estimated the damages to be approxi- <br />mately $1 million; approximately $200,000 of this total occurred <br />upstream from Denver. This flood caused additional economic <br />damage in the Cherry Creek basin. Loss of the dam cut off the <br />water 5upply to approximately 3,000 acres of land. The basin <br />suffered a severe recession and many families moved from the area. <br /> <br />On September 9 and 10, 1933, a flood was caused by heavy rain on <br />the divide separating Cherry Creek from Plum, Big Dry, and Little <br />Dry Creeks, which enter the South Platte River between the mouth <br />of the South Platte River canyon and Denver. In an investigation <br />of this flood, the office of the State Engineer made a slope-area <br />determination of the flow in Plum Creek and found it to be 5,500 cfs. <br /> <br />A large storm front moved into southeastern Colorado on August 25, <br />1945, and extended over the Cherry Creek basin. Unofficial rain- <br />fall amounts varied from 2 to 5 inches. Severe flooding occurred <br />along Cherry Creek in the Franktown-Parker area. The gaging sta- <br />tion at Melvin recorded a peak discharge of 10,700 cts. Total <br />damages were estimated at $200,000. <br /> <br />10 <br />