|
<br />8il':
<br />
<br />Sandvllasin
<br />.
<br />
<br />A watershed project was planned for the upper reaches d IIiI': Ss"dy
<br />
<br />The flood hLHory On IIi;:: Sandy Creek ls considerably different than o~
<br />
<br />Creek in 1957. Construction on the j>ro:J~ct was cO"'pleted in 1966. Th1s
<br />
<br />the s",all tributaries previously ~Iscussed.
<br />
<br />project provides flood protectlon to the to>lll8 of Ra.""'h ~nd S1mla "nd
<br />
<br />There 15 appro>;i"'~tely 312 s~uare ",11~" of unconunlled dr"lna!,:" ~reil
<br />
<br />reducesda!TIajl;estoa;::riculturela"dsalo"gthtsl.lpperreach. Theinflue"c.e
<br />
<br />on the HiI': Sandy Draina~e above f,tmOll. Liirr,e flooda h,,"e occurred in 192\,
<br />
<br />of this project is lost, howe'Jer, as the contributi,,!,: drainage area
<br />
<br />1927, 1933, 1935, 19)7, 1946, 1950, \954, 1956 a~d 1965.
<br />
<br />increases below the project.
<br />
<br />A Lincoln County ~ewspaper (Friday September 'l, 1<J37) gives the
<br />
<br />The flood of June 1965.....s theTllOst severe of recenthiatoryon
<br />
<br />followin~ account of floodin~ from a 1937 storm:
<br />
<br />tributaries to the Arkansas River east of the 105' lonjl;itude. The Ramah
<br />
<br />"The lIi~ Sandy, which runs thru Li",oo, "as a turhulent r1'Jer Sunday
<br />with water spread allover the fhts oolow to>lll. This stream which 1s
<br />ordinarlly dry at thta place was still flo'"'tn~ briskly on Wednesday,
<br />due to the enormous amount of "Inter poured into it from the terrible
<br />downpour of rain farther uj>."
<br />
<br />Oa1l, apartoftheHigSandyproject,waa operatiooal"t that time, Tl.to
<br />
<br />high intensity rainfall cells from this particular storm were located over
<br />
<br />El Paao County and Prowers County. PreCipitation amounts of more than 12
<br />
<br />An F.astern Colorado Ne,",spaper aummari~ed the 1954 and 1056 floods aa
<br />
<br />inr.hes were measur"d In these.tW'Ol:enetal areas. The R.smahDam emergellcy
<br />
<br />follows:
<br />
<br />spillway flowed at full capacity, The upper reaches of Big Sandy Creek
<br />
<br />"DonSmith,workunitconservationlstw1ththeSol1Conservatlon
<br />Ser"ice,.saidpeopl" in the lIig Sandy flood area really il:ot stirredu p
<br />about the <lncontrolled creek after the Aug"st4, 1954, flood,'
<br />
<br />reach..d flood stage, ho~ver, because of long travel distances throuil:h
<br />
<br />Elbert, Lincoln, Cheyenne, and Kio,",a counties, the flood peak was reduced a
<br />
<br />"The center of the atorm hIt si:< !TIlle" north..."st of Calhan. Five
<br />inches of rainfall was reported. The swift runoff from the foothilh
<br />and prairie dratna~e area cui",inated io a roari~ floodt1de that swept
<br />downtheharmlessappe,ui"jl;cre_ekandwashedn"tbrIdg"",carr1edaway
<br />1,600ba1es of hay, ruined meadow land and crop land,knitted barbed
<br />wire fencing with uj>rooted fenc" posts and pulled it along in its
<br />Tushing tide, The flood did 11 great deal of d"'"".o;e to railroad tracks
<br />and ~ridges."
<br />
<br />great deal furth"rdoWllstream.
<br />
<br />An Eastern Color..do NewspapH Hives the followln~ report of the JUll"
<br />
<br />1965 flood On Big Sandy Creek'
<br />
<br />"Then ./l,ly 2 and 1,19%, the cre..k '..ally W<'nt berserk. Torrenti"l
<br />Tlllnand hall stor!TIS hit the Pikes Peak Regiott and the Ri!l;Sandy
<br />floodedtwiceintwodaya,.'
<br />
<br />..Reports say that the R"""'h da", is full and the ll1g Sandy luts be"n
<br />flowinl': steadily past Limon for the j>ast four or fine days. When the
<br />"'Mer ca",e down or1I':in"11y it !l;ot out of the ba"ks a little, but it
<br />retllrnedwithoutdoinganydamage."
<br />
<br />nLos"e" tncluded 10 heari of cattle,20sh"ep. hundreds of acres of
<br />!TIeadowland and crop land swept away by the voracious..."te_r. Rrid!,:,,"
<br />were washeri out, the expen..i"e fences ~nt 8.o:"io and the Rock Island
<br />Railroad austained another huge flood damage loss to tracks and
<br />r"ilroadbridge.."
<br />
<br />"The stream hils bee" fed for the past threenr four days fromwllt..r
<br />which has bee" caught ln the So11 c,on"..rvatinll d"",q ,",~l..h at~ r'~rj>o",~_ly
<br />conatructed to stop the water. but to ,,1 low it to cacape in a Kradual
<br />lIlanoer, so that there ...ill be no flooding. These ds",s an_ the Sdme as
<br />thosewh1chwer"huilt north of LillK>n last sUlUmer."
<br />
<br />"The Big SlIndyw". contriblltinl': to the flood in the Arkansas "alley
<br />when the bed was bon,' dry ln Limon."
<br />
<br />l'
<br />
<br />It
<br />
|