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<br />CHAPTER IV
<br />HISTORY Of fLOODING
<br />
<br />A. General
<br />
<br />Historical streamflow record. for St. Vrain Greek are available at three
<br />separdte gage locatiorls. The.e locations in<:lud~ Lyon. (]887 - ]89] and ]895 _
<br />Cllrre"t), below LOl\gmorlt (1976 - Current), and at the ""'uth of St. Vraill Ge"..1<
<br />nearPlatteville(1904-1906, 1915, and 1927-Current); Colorildo. The
<br />highest reeoeded peak flo~s doring flooding period" at these three locations
<br />were IO,500ds at Lyon. (June 22,1941); 2,370 ds below Long'lH>nt (May ]7, 1978);
<br />arid 11,300 cis near Platteville (Sept~rnber 3, ]938). The lower figure for
<br />St. Vrain Creek below Longlllont reflects the sllort duration of eecorded f10ws
<br />"v<<i l'1ble, i. e., R ince O~_tober 1911;. The flood history of St. Vrai~ Creek i,
<br />well doeumerlted.
<br />
<br />E.~din;'Pc,iods
<br />
<br />Plooding d.Hes for St. Vraitt Creek have been docum""ted in a nUOlbd. ot
<br />U.S. Gcological Survey publications, Investig~tion" of "e. 'per articles and
<br />interviews of resid""U focu"ed on the followin~ datp":
<br />
<br />I. Spring of ]844
<br />2. June 9, 1864
<br />3. May 22, 1876
<br />4. May]], 1894 - CreHer tha" a 5Q-yea, flood U\efer~nce :;0. 2)
<br />5. June I, 19]4
<br />6. July JO.J.ndJI, 1919
<br />7. June 3, 1921 - R"u~hly equal to ~ 50-year ilo'Oct (Rd~e~ncf' ~". 2:
<br />a. .~u;;U"t J I tllrougll Septc"'~e, ~, :Y)8
<br />9. June 22, 1941
<br />10. JUrlc4, 1949
<br />II. ALlg"S~ J, 195 I
<br />
<br />~2]-
<br />
<br />"
<br />,
<br />,
<br />
<br />12. May 10, 1957 - Roughly about a 25-year flood (RderenCe :>0. 2J
<br />]3. Mayg, 1951
<br />14. May]958
<br />15. ~..y 4 thtoLlgh 8, ]969
<br />16. MayS, 1913
<br />17. July 31, ]976
<br />
<br />C. Reported St. Vtain flOOding
<br />
<br />A numb.r Df publi.hed report~ havo In the past doc~~ented the flood history
<br />of St. Vtain Creek. The U.S. Goological Survey Water-Supply Paper 997, pub-
<br />liShed in 1948, contains acco~nt~ of floods of Colorado streams including St.
<br />Vrain Creek. Specific flooding accounts cited fro~ this publiCAtion (Reference
<br />Nv. 14) inelud~:
<br />
<br />"The Horm of Junc 1364 caused a floc>d t~<! cf(eas of "nich '..-ere felt
<br />sever~ly irl th~ St. Vrain Valley."
<br />
<br />"T!le ;tor", of !-lay 1876 also caused a flood on St. Vr"inCnck." The May
<br />]], ]876 issue of the Golden Tribune reported that at thejunctionofSt .'1ra;.n
<br />Crock and Lctthand Creok at Burlington, the water spread OVer the bottom f~o~
<br />bluff tn bluff for two days.
<br />
<br />"The g~ne,,1 Hor", 0/ May 31, 1394, cau",Bd a flood on St. Vrain Crp~k, of
<br />which the Boulder Camera, JU<le 2, 1894, reponed: All of th~ 1""'00 p~,t of
<br />Lyons was "ashed away, probably 20ho"$"s beinS,lQHt,oyed or rui ned. Sheriff
<br />Dy~r s"id tllat, 5tarldirl8 on tile bells and lo('kin;; (",to St. ,",..in "alley, a
<br />lake J mile", wide '''-3_' i"th.Q piQture."
<br />
<br />Based on information provided t" th,' IT.S. t.H'lov,ie'd Suney by a resi.d€~,
<br />'~hi> had lived nc'ar the ga~;ihg stat: on ell Lyons. thE U. S.G. S. ~s t i",a(oct the fl'>od~
<br />
<br />~22-
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