FLOOD10115

• County: El Paso
• Community: Pikes Peak Region
• Stream Name: Arkansas River and Tributaries
• Basin: Arkansas
• Title: Flood Threats and Risk Inventory in the Pikes Peak Region
• Date: 1/1/1987
• Prepared For: Colorado Springs
• Prepared By: UCCS
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

THE PIKES PEAK REGION

The combined effects of development, topography and
meteorology in western El Paso County create the potential for
large scale flooding on Fountain and Monument Creeks and their
tributaries. The history, unique physical conditions,
development, geography and hydrology and the flood history of the
area will be examined here.

THE STUDY AREA

The main foci of the survey area are the communities located
in the western part of El Paso County, between R65W and R68W and
TllS to T16S.

Included in this area are Colorado Springs (incorporated,
population 262,775); Fountain (incorporated, population 10,480);
Manitou springs (incorporated, population 5,236); Green Mountain
Falls (incorporated, population 753); Chipita Park and Cascade
(unincorporated, El Paso County); Monument (incorporated,
population 690); Palmer Lake (incorporated, population 1,316);
and, Widefield, Security, Stratmoor Valley and Stratmoor Hills
(unincorporated, El Paso County). The total population of
unincorporated El Paso County is 12,881 (United state,s Department
of Commerce, 1986).

Projections for El Paso County estimate a 13% increase in
population by 1990 and a 39% increase by the year 2000 (United
States Department of Commerce, 1986).

THE HISTORY

The earliest settlement in the area, Colorado city (now
known as Old Colorado city), developed as a mining supply center
for the Colorado gold camps of South Park in 1859 (Sprague,
1980).

The founding father of Colorado springs was General william
Jackson Palmer. After a career in the U.S. Army, General Palmer
was employed by the Kansas Pacific Railroad as an engineer.
While surveying along the Arkansas River, Palmer discovered the
beauty of the Pikes Peak region and began to dream of building a
resort town, Colorado Springs. Palmer included in his dream the
development of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad which stretched
along the Front Range, resulting in settlements along the line
(Breckenridge, 1985).

During 1840-70 land use in eastern and northern El Paso

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