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<br />within the channel and along the overbanks. Although the area <br />is not developed to any degree, the channel does flow under two <br />main highways, State Highway 74 and State Highway 8, through two <br />box culverts that should be able to pass the 100-year flood; however, <br />the brush problem could sufficiently slow the floodwaters to the <br />point of silt deposition inside the culverts. In fact, silt deposi- <br />tion seems to have already occurred in the double 8-foot by 8- <br />foot box culvert under State Highway 8 to the extent that the present <br />area is approximately 75 percent of the original area. <br /> <br />Many smaller tributaries to Bear Creek upstream from Morrison <br />contribute relatively large peak flows to the Bear Creek flood <br />plain and thus to Morrison. <br /> <br />The highest recorded floods for Morrison occurred on July 24, <br />1896; July 7, 1933; and September 2 and 3, 1938. The peak flows <br />estimated for the 1896 and 1933 floods above Mt. Vernon Creek <br />are 8600 cubic feet per second (cfs) and 8110 cfs, respectively. <br />The 1938 flood was caused by a cloudburst that centered on the <br />divide between Mount Vernon and Bear Creeks near the top of Genesee <br />Mountain. The highest peak for Bear Creek at Morrison, above <br />Mount Vernon Creek, was only 6200 cfs; however, the peak for Mount <br />Vernon Creek at Morrison was 9230 cfs (Reference 3). Other floods <br />of lesser magnitude occurred on Bear Creek in 1934, 1957, 1965, <br />and 1969 (Reference 4). Figures 2 through 5 depict estimated <br />elevations on the Park Avenue, Canon Street, and Mount Vernon <br />Creek Bridges. <br /> <br />2.4 Flood Protection Measures <br /> <br />No flood protection measures have been provided immediately upstream <br />of Morrison. Streams within Morrison have been channelized. <br />Brick walls serving to streamline the flow comprise most of the <br />channelization measures. However, most of the beneficial effects <br />of the walls are nullified due to the adjacent growth of vegetation. <br />These walls were built many years ago and have had little maintenance <br />since that time. Removal of vegetation, sediment deposits, debris, <br />and rocks from the floodways of Bear Creek, Mount Vernon Creek, <br />and Bear Creek Tributary No. 7 would improve flood control, but <br />the problem of the inadequate capacity of the State Highway 8 <br />box culvert would remain. <br /> <br />3.0 ENGINEERING METHODS <br /> <br />For the flooding sourceS studied in detail in the community, standard <br />hydrologic and hydraulic study methods were used to determine the flood <br />hazard data required for this study. Flood events of a magnitude which <br />are expected to be equalled or exceeded once on the average during any <br />10-, 50-, 100-, or 500-year period (recurrence interval) have been selected <br />as having special significance for flood plain management and for flood <br /> <br />5 <br />