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<br />gage-height chart, which is customary for substantial rainstonns, nor were any comments made to that <br />effect in the 1952 "Station Analyses" for the Cimarron River (U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado District, <br />unpublished data). Likewise, the raingage observer did not make any notes in the "remarks" section of <br />the original daily-weather records that the June 3, 1952 rainstonn was particularly noteworthy (Colorado <br />Climate Center, unpublished data). <br /> <br />The Cimarron River below Squaw Creek near Cimarron (09127000) gage-height charts were reviewed <br />for the entire 1952 water year to ascertain if other rainfall-runoff events had occurred. The Cimarron River <br />experienced fifteen other rainfall events during 1952 and had net peak rainfall runoff ranging from 4 to 168 <br />cubic feet per second, although one rainstonn produced no measurable rainfall runoff (table 1). For <br />comparison and as several larger rainfall-runoff events occurred during 1951, data also were summarized <br />for water year 1951 (table 1). Daily precipitation data (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1951, 1952) were <br />obtained for 1951 and 1952 to ascertain measured rainfall amounts at Cimarron and nearby raingages <br />(table 1). The largest rainfall runoff during 1952 occurred on July 29 (figure 8). This event had a net <br />rainfall runoff of about 120 cubic feet per second. The Cimarron 3SE raingage recorded 0.60 inches of <br />rainfall on July 29th. Net peak rainfall runoff for July 29th was 1.9 times the amount of the June 3rd peak <br />rainfall runoff, but less than an inch of rainfall occurred July 29th at Cimarron 3SE gage. More convective <br />rainfall could have occurred upstream from the Cimarron raingage, which is considered unlikely as that part <br />of the basin is above 7,500 feet (Jarrett, 1987a, 1987b, 1990, 1993), and there is no paJeoflood evidence <br />of substantial out-of bank-flows. The largest rainfall-runoff event in 1951 was 588 cubic feet per second <br />and occurred on August 2nd and 3rd. Unfortunately, most of the precipitation record for Cimarron 3SE was <br />reported as missinll during 1951. Nearby rainfall amounts ranged from 0.00 to 1.43 inches on August 2nd <br />and 3rd. The maximum value was reported at 2 stations that were located to the east (Gunnison) and <br />west (Ames) of Cimarron (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1951). <br /> <br />Two other streamflow gages also have been operated on the Cimarron River. The second streamflow- <br />gaging station was the Cimarron River at Cimarron (09126500), which has a drainage area of 209 square <br />miles and was located about a quarter-mile upstream from Cimarron at an elevation of 6,890 feet. This <br />gage was a quarter-mile from the Cimarron River at Cimarron gage (09127000) and located in the narrow, <br />steep, rugged canyon before the river entered the Gunnison River. The Cimarron River at Cimarron gage <br />was operated in 1904-05 and 1962-67. The maximum annual-peak flow recorded at this station was <br />1 ,600 cubic feet per second and occurred May 12, 1962. The third gage is the Cimarron River near <br />Cimarron (09126000), which has a drainage area of 66.6 square miles and has been in operation from <br />1955 to present. This gage is located about 12 linear miles upstream from Cimarron in the headwaters of <br />the basin at an elevation of 8,630 feet. The 1995 peak discharge for this gage (09126000) was 1,530 <br />cubic feet per second, which occurred on June 16th. The maximum peak discharge recorded at the <br />Cimarron River near Cimarron gage (09126000) is 1,790 cubic feet per second, which occurred on June <br />28, 1957. Snowmelt runoff during 1957, which is recognized as one of the largest snowpack in Colorado <br />in at least 100 years, established maximum peak flow at many long-tenn streamflow-gaging stations in <br />Colorado and still is the year of maximum peak runoff for numerous streams in Colorado (Collins and <br />others, 1991). A mass-curve analysis (Lindsley and others, 1982) of all Cimarron River streamflow- <br />gaging station annual peak flows was done (figure 9). The analysis indicated that the records the two <br />gages at Cimarron (09126500 and 09127000) are comparable, but the most upstream gage (0912600) <br />has substantially less flow. The most upstream gage had higher unit runoff (discharge divided by <br />drainage area) than the two downstream gages. <br /> <br />6 <br />