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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />characterized by moderate peak flows and large volumes of water over a long duration. The peak <br />flows have a noticeable diurnal fluctuation. Snowmelt flooding may occasionally be augmented by <br />rainfall. <br /> <br />Research of the study area yielded minimal information regarding flooding events in Rockvale. In <br />spite of the long history of human activity, there are limited historical accounts of major flooding on <br />Oak Creek and South Oak Creek in the Rockvale area. On June 5, 1921 a cloudburst rainfall fell on <br />the foothills in the Rockvale/Coal Creek/Williamsburg area. Peak discharges for Oak Creek and <br />Coal Creek at Florence were estimated by the USGS to be 2,760 and 3,720 cfs, respectively. <br />Damages were estimated to be a quarter of a million dollars and 16 lives were lost in the Town of <br />Florence. No specific information is available for damages in Rockvale for that event. Other <br />noteworthy rainstorms in the area occurred in 1909, 1932, 1941, 1948, 1949, and 1965. <br /> <br />More recently, damage as a result of flooding on Oak Creek occurred during the spring of 1995 in <br />the Town of Rockvale. Rapid melting of snowpack in the upper watershed caused higher than <br />normal peak flows through Rockvale which washed out a portion of South Oak Creek Road, and <br />nearly caused damage to a water main buried under the roadway. The high water on Oak Creek <br />was reported to be just below the low chord of the Mesa A venue bridge, No lives were lost during <br />that event, but damages are estimated to be on the order of $100,000, <br /> <br />Community Resoonse to the CWCR Desi211ation and Aooroval Process <br /> <br />A letter from the CWCB was transmitted to the Town of Rockvalee regarding the Board's proposed <br />action for designation and approval of this Floodplain Information Report and the Rockvale FIRM. <br />The Town was very receptive to the Board's proposed actions. The Town sent an official letter <br />requesting that the CWCB designate and approve floodplain information currently available to the <br />community, A copy of the request letter is included in the Appendix at the end of this report. <br /> <br />ENGINEERING METHODS <br /> <br />Hydrololrlc Analysis <br /> <br />Hydrology information for Oak Creek and South Oak Creek on Rockvale's FIRM has been <br />estimated in accordance with the CWCB's Guidelines for Determining ZOO-Year Flood Flows for <br />Approximate Floodplains (Guidelines), The lOO-year flow for Oak Creek and South Oak Creek <br />can be estimated by utilizing the regression equation for Arkansas River Basin, Subregion Ark-3. <br />The equation is QUNI = l089,27(A)o.635 , where QtoO is the l00-year peak flow in cubic feet per <br />second, and A is the upstream (contributing) drainage area in square miles. The regression equation <br />is only valid for tributary streams having drainage areas between 1 square mile and 930 square <br />miles. Figure I, presented in the Appendix of this report, displays the Arkansas River Basin with <br />Subregions Ark-I through Ark-6. The regression curve for Subregion Ark-3 is also included in the <br />Appendix. A detailed study or other hydrologic analysis must be performed for projects involving <br />streams with drainage areas that fall outside the applicable range. Table I displays the estimated <br />loo-year peak flows for Oak Creek and South Oak Creek at the downstream Town limits. <br />