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<br />of 1894 a"d 1919 to be 9,800 and 9,400secnnd_fo_et, respectively.
<br />
<br />The storm of Sept~mb<!r 2-<<, 1938 ,,"s felt in th~ St. Vrain Creek basin
<br />
<br />The Lyons R<'corder, August 2, 191~ issue, describes tb" 1919 flood. ,,"
<br />follo'Js;
<br />
<br />chiefly east of the mounta.ins. At Longmont, tho precipitatinn for tla. j-day
<br />per iod tot.11ed <<.5<< i nch"~. "lie 10" Lyons tll~ d iscloargc i.no~eased ~apidly,
<br />o"'i.ng to runoff from tributary stroams, SOme of ",hioh aH otdinadly dry
<br />gul~hes." The peak dis~harge 8t th~ Lyons gaging station, "hich o~~uned aC
<br />1:00 a.::t., S~ptember 3, "as only ]650 second-het, while the peak dis~h",g'.
<br />at the gaging station near the mouth of St. Vtain Creek waS estimated to be
<br />
<br />The heaviest and illost destructive clOUdburst and dOWnpour of water in tho
<br />memory of the oldest inhabitanc visited Lyons on ~'('dne"day{July 30) between
<br />2:30 and 3:45 p.m. It took out all the bridee" on the ~orth St. Vracn for
<br />about 5 mcles up and 5 miles downstream. The Longmont and Lyons water mains
<br />up the canyon were torn out in many places. Not only were the brid~es wash-
<br />ed a~ay, closing the road to Estes Park, hut miles of road was torn out
<br />along the narrow canyon.
<br />The people living on the lowlands along the banks of the river '"ere flood
<br />edout, and many abandoned their homes for higher sround and safety. It
<br />"'as no UnCOlllil1On thing to see an ~utomobile, bridge, barn, ohicken hou"e,
<br />and othet small buildings going down the stream at a high rate of speed,
<br />~orth-side citizens.. .gave all the ~$.istance possible to tbe residents (in
<br />the lo~er part of to",n) wbose homes... were in a roarcng sea of ~ater 2 and
<br />3 feet deep.
<br />
<br />8,360 second-feet at 6:00 p.m. the .ame day.
<br />
<br />A second publication de"eribin~ the flood hi"tory of St. Vraio Greek
<br />inclUdes an opeo file teport of tbe U.S. Geolosieal Survey entitled "noods
<br />onSt.VrainandLefthandCrceksatLongmont,Colorado"(Refennceli:o.2).
<br />Sp~cifie information cited horn the reference coverinx floods since 194]
<br />inclUdes:
<br />
<br />The widespread rain" of Jun~ 2-7, 1921 ~aused a flood on Sr. Vrain Creck,
<br />rel'orted as follows in the Lyons f{e<:ord~r <>f June 9, 1921:
<br />
<br />"The peak discharge of the fluod of June 22, ]941. onSt. VcainCreek
<br />at Lyons '~as the greol.te"t since at least 1881, sl ightly exc""ding the ciis-
<br />charges of both the 1919 and ]894 floods, ...".
<br />
<br />While Lyons expericne~d an cxtraordinary heavy rain during June 4-6, ~nd
<br />botb St. Vrain Creeks (North and South) carried la,ge volumes of water,
<br />very little d~m"ge "'as done. We were very fortunate that very little water
<br />fell up either canyon, the rise comi~~ from rains i.n th~ I.~Llr.S Peak region,
<br />and rhe natural ~lti.ng of mountai~ snow.
<br />
<br />Fro",. the Tim~s-C"ll for XQy ] I, 1"57:
<br />
<br />"Water coursed Qero~s Hb,h"ay 2f>7 i~ the HPa ~"~r th~ Sf. \lqi~ brioie~.
<br />just south of Lo[\gmont."
<br />
<br />Thc peak discharge recorded at Lyon~ waS 2,020 second-feet, Jun~ 7, 1921.
<br />The r<l.nfall ."a~ particularly heavy e"st of the mountains, .1S shown by the
<br />5 . 8 7 inches record ed "t Lonl':mont. June 2 - 7 . No cst ima te 0 f the d iseha r ge a ~
<br />l.ongownt is aV;J.ibblc, but " dispa~ch to ~he Bouldcr CJl<i<'ra, ,Iune 7, 1921
<br />Hated:
<br />
<br />The L~dg..r horn ~ay 16, 19S7, ha" a repo~t:
<br />
<br />"Th.. ,,,mpaging St. 'ir"in Ri.ver (sid oVerflo,,~d its banh last 'Jc~k .,'
<br />a r.~ult "f a four-inCh r"inston. in th~ Lungmont art'a."
<br />
<br />The St. Vrai" Creek hd~ i~ >J"y ,",ut o[ it, ba"b and is Hai.d by people
<br />",ho should kno" t<>bo thohiJ,(hest cn 25 years (cvidentty rcf'errctLg to tho
<br />flOod of 1394). The Creek is earryi.ng mo,e wate, and is bigh", i.n this re-
<br />gion than during th~ clow:lbuL,ts .>t Lyo'," 2 years ~go. [he end at this
<br />point is <;hr<,w-q\1dl"terS "r a eni l~ wid~. W"lC, i.s up to the "arnters' Mi 11
<br />and depot. A1l bri.dg~s in the City at(. out or d.1ngerOLJ".
<br />
<br />"The flo," of the crock at tYOlt. '.as quite higb in the e~l"ly part of May
<br />]957, probably mostly from soo'n'melt, but heavy rains in the foothills and i~
<br />th.. ph ins region appea, to h8ve had ~ maj{)r rde in e.>u'i.~~, the flood., in
<br />Long""'nt,"
<br />
<br />T~e Tb'es-Call or :-lay 9, 19S5, h~" " pinu,e sll"wing t~le Sunset :Jriv"
<br />bridge "ollap,~d ",ith d" a~e"mpa~yillg r<-p"rt:
<br />
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