FLOOD09193

• Designation Number: 579
• County: Gunnison
• Community: Marble and Vicinity
• Stream Name: Crystal River
• Basin: Gunnison
• Title: Floodplain Information Report - Crystal River - Marble and Vicinity
• Date: 8/1/2004
• Prepared For: Marble and CWCB
• Prepared By: Icon Engineering, Inc.
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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2.4 Flooding History

The history of flooding in the vicinity of the Town of Marble and the Crystal
River has been best documented by the 1979 Floodplain Information Report
for the Crystal River and Coal Creek, prepared for Pitkin County by Wright
Water Engineers, Inc. This report documents historic floods from interviews
with local residents and a Corps of Engineers hydrologic study on the Crystal
River (Reference 6). This report indicates that the largest flows recorded on
the Crystal River occur as a result of snowmelt during the spring and early
summer months. Flooding during the late summer and fall months results
from rainstorms. Often these storms will also initiate large mud debris flows
on tributaries to the Crystal River. Local residents recall that Highway 133 has
been closed many times by mud slides in the summer months. The largest
recorded snowmelt and rain floods in the Crystal River basin have been
tabulated in Table 2. This table was compiled from data presented by the U.S.
Geological Survey Water Supply Records (References 7, 8, 9).

Table 2,' Historic Floods - Crystal River

Drainage
Area Peak Discharge
Date Location (sq. mi.) Source* (cfs)
06/25/17 Crystal River at Marble 74.3 S 2,980
06/21/38 Crystal River near Redstone 229 S 4,400
08/08/41 Carbonate Creek at Marble 5.1 R ?
07/31/45 Carbonate Creek at Marble 5,1 R ?
06/18/49 Crystal River near Redstone 229 S 3,960
06/15/52 Crystal River near Redstone 229 S 3,960
06/14/53 Crystal River near Redstone 229 S 4,110
07/01/57 Crvstal River above Avalanche Creek 167 S 3,980
06/20/59 Thompson Creek near Carbondale 76 S? 780
06/12/65 Thompson Creek near Carbondale 76 S 630
06/22/65 Crvstal River above Avalanche Creek 167 S 2,780
06/24171 Crystal River at Placita 107 S 1,940
07/12/73 Crvstal River above Avalanche Creek 167 R 1,780
07/24/77 Dutch Creek (Trib, of Coal Creek) V R 1 ,000**

*8 :;; Snow; *R = Rain
.. Indirect flow estimate
? Flooding source or discharge unknown

Carbonate Creek, located near the Town of Marble, has a history of rainstorm
floods and large mud debris flows. During the August 8, 1941 flood event, a
structure, the Horace Williams House, was documented to have moved over 30
feet off of its original foundation as a result of the flooding. Additionally, high

ICON Engineering, Inc.
August 2004

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