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<br />2.0 AREA STUDIED <br /> <br />2.1 Scope of Study <br /> <br />This Flood Insurance Study covers the incorporated area of the <br />Town of Breckenridge, Summit County, Colorado. The area of study <br />is shown on the Vicinity Map (Figure l)~ <br /> <br />Floods caused by the overflow of the Blue River, Sawmill Gulch, <br />Illinois Gulch, and Lehman Gulch within the corporate limits of <br />Breckenridge were studied in detail. <br /> <br />Those areas studied by detailed methods were chosen with priority <br />given to all known flood hazard areas. These areas were chosen <br />with consideration given to all. proposed construction and forecasted <br />development through 1983. <br /> <br />2.2 Community Description <br /> <br />The ski resort town of Breckenridge is nestled high in the Blue <br />River Valley in southern Summit County, in central Colorado, <br />9 miles south of Frisco and Dillon Reservoir. It is surrounded by <br />unincorporated Summit County land, including three towering mountain <br />ranges: the rugged Ten Mile Range on the west, Bald Mountain and <br />the Front Range on the east, and Hoosier Pass and the Mosquito <br />Range on the south. <br /> <br />Breckenridge was once an old gold mining town, but has recently <br />been converted to a booming ski resort with most of its industry <br />related_to skiing and other mountain recreational activities. <br />It is arso the summit County seat. <br /> <br />Development in the town has been increasing with the growth of the <br />ski industry. Its summertime population is between 650 and 800 <br />persons; during the winter, the population increases to over 2500, <br />not including the I-day skiers (R~ference 1). Most of the develop- <br />ment on the flood plain in Breckenridge is commercial. <br /> <br />The major drainageway through Breckenridge is the Blue River, <br />which flows through the center of town. It has a steep, <br />narrow channel with a slope of approximately 130 feet per mile. <br />Its width is approximately 30 feet and its bank-to-bottom depth <br />varies from 5 to 7 feet. Its streambed is straight and rough, <br />containing fairly large rocks. The flood plain is largely confined <br />to the channel, but does increase to between 300 to 400 feet in widtt <br />in ponds and behind some of the culverts. Most of the flood plain <br />in Breckenridge contains no vegetation, but is covered with <br />rocks. The downstream reaches of the Blue River at Breckenridge <br />have willow bushes and gravel tailings covering much of the flood <br />plain. <br /> <br />2 <br />