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<br />De~clopmcnts on tno Flood Plains <br />The Boulder Creek flood plain, e~cept in the City of <br />Boulder is predominantly used for agriculture. Most are~s are used <br />for p~sturage although some farm crops are grown in tho lass rocky <br />aroas. Gra~e) mIning operations are extensive In the Velmant vicinIty. <br />The eastward expansion of Boulder extonds Into the upper portions of <br />the stuey reach. The e~panslon is composed of residentIal, commercial, <br />and industrial facIlities. Urbanization covers about 10 percent of <br />the flQOd plain area withIn the studyraach. <br />The South Boulder Creek flOOd plaIn has uses whiCh are <br />similar to the Boulder Creek flood plain. Gravel mining occurs south <br />of ArapahooRoad and at several locations around Highway 170. Housing <br />developments are located between Baseline and Arapahoe roads and <br />about I mile above Highway 170. Scattered hOUses can be found along <br />mostotthehlghwayswhlchcrossthevalley. EldoradoSprlngsis <br />located at the mouth of the canyon near tho upstream end of the study <br />reach. ThislsasmalllonsestablishedsuJIIl19rresortcCtrlTlunity. <br />Urbanization on the South Boulder Creek flood plain 15 also esti~ted <br />to occupy about 10 percent ot the avaIlable area. <br />ThegrowthofMetropolltanBouldorsoemslnevitable. In <br />the 20 year period after 1940. the Boulder County pooulation doubled <br />while tne tloulderCity population tripled. Thepresentgrowthvlsable <br />IntheBoulderar""indlc"testhlltth.,''l70population+igur'lSlfilI <br />alsoshowasubstllntial incroasa. Thapopulatlonprojections <br />prosentad in table I show the estimated growth of Boulder County. <br />Theurl>anlzatlonofacon"ldcrJbIO land;JrC;Jwlll;Jccomp"r,ythe <br />population incre"se unless d prefere~e tor "partments replaces the <br />existing mode for single family units. With the mountains to the <br />west, the growth of Boulder, except for occasIonal expensive unIts, <br />must be ini>generalei>sterlyairection. ThiS makes the broad flat <br />flood plains a primary location for future expansion. <br /> <br /> TA8LE I <br /> POPULATION PROJECTIONS <br /> Year County of Boulder City of Boulder <br />'I 1940 37,438 11,958 <br /> 1950 48,296 19,999 <br /> 1960 74,254 37,718 <br />21 1970 120,000 <br /> 1980 200,000 <br /> 1990 275,000 <br /> 2000 350,000 <br /> <br />8rldges Across the Stroam <br />Boulder Crack Is crossed by 12 street or hIghway brIdges <br />and two railroad bridges wIthin the study reach. Major roads include <br />State Highway 7 on Arllpahoe Road and Federal Highway 287. <br />South Boulder Creal: Is spanned by II stre'ltorhlghway <br />brIdges and one rallro"d bridge. Major roads include the Denver- <br />Boulder Turnpike and State Highways 93 and 170. <br />The IntermedIate Regional Flood will olfertopmost roads on <br />ooth streams. Ganer"l)y, the roads ara overtopped On tha approaches <br />instoad of at the bridges. Pertinent bridge elevations and their <br />relationship to tha Intermediate RegIonal Flood are presented in table <br />2 and 3. The small private type bridges which would be washed out <br />during a major flood have not oeen Included ;n the bridge tables. The <br />bridge information Is also shown graphically On tho profiles, and the <br />location and orientation of tno roads Is shown on the flooded are3 <br />maps for each stream. <br /> <br />Jj.Populatlonscornplled by lliJreau of Census. <br /> <br />2/ <br /> <br />Projectionstakenfroopamphlatentltled, "Denver SMSA Population", <br />January, 1969,published by the Denvor RegIonal Counc11 of <br />Goverrtn"nts. <br /> <br />9 <br /> <br />'0 <br />