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<br />DESCRIPTION OF CHERRY CREEK (CONT tD) <br />Such storms and floods are not frequent in anyone area. <br />During the 80-year period since Denver established itself at the junction <br />of Cherry Creek and the South Platte river, approximately fifteen flcw.s <br />have occurred in Cherry Creek worthy of the flood-stage designation. Of <br />these, but five have been of a magnitude exceeding the carrying capacity <br />of the Cherry Creek channel in Denver. These five occurred in 1864,1878, <br /> <br /> <br />1885. 1912 and 1933. The capacity of the Cherry Creek channel in Denver. <br /> <br /> <br />at present, being 10.000 second-feet, it may be said, from past exper- <br /> <br /> <br />ience, that once in 16-years, on the average, a flood may be expected <br /> <br /> <br />of a magnitude such as to overflow the channel. <br /> <br /> <br />A review of the flood data indicates that the greatest <br /> <br /> <br />flood occurred in 1885. when the flood crest in Chel'ry Cret>k Was estimated <br /> <br /> <br />at 20,000 sec. ft. <br /> <br /> <br />The flood of 1912 (July 14) created two orests, one esti- <br /> <br /> <br />mated at 14,500 sec. ft., and the other at n.ooo sec. ft. at Denver. <br /> <br /> <br />causing property damages, principally in Denver but in part upstream. of <br />substantially one-half million dollars. <br /> <br /> <br />The flood 01' 1933 (Aug. 3). created flood crests variously <br /> <br /> <br />estimated at from 11.000 to 32,000 sec. ft. at the Castlewood dam, causing <br /> <br /> <br />failure of that dam and the release of its over-filled reservoir of water, <br /> <br /> <br />and creating a flood crest of 126.000 sec. ft. immediately below. <br /> <br /> <br />Valley storage reduced the peak flow to 31,,000 sec. ft. at the site of <br /> <br /> <br />the subsequently constructed Sullivan Barrier, and to 16,000 sec. ft. <br /> <br />at Denver. Property damages TIere substantially one million dollars. <br /> <br /> <br />-2- <br />