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0008Q2 Bdcknround Information for Colorado Flood Awareness Day, JIll'Y ) 1, 1 ?f11 ,'. PrcptJrcu by the Colorddo W.ller Conscrvo.lLion nOdruo . July 23, 1981 On July 31, 1976 hedvy rdins reI J in lhc niQ Thompson Cdnyon between Loveland and Estes Pdrk. Precipitation totals were as muCh as 12 inches in 5 hours. The result was a flood which cduscd 139 dcCI ths, S person miss i n(], clnd SS6. 1 mill ion j n recov- ery costs. UndWd.re of the hco:lvy rd i n clnd potcnL i ,,11 ddnger, some people faIled to heed warnings as the storm developed upstream from them. It should be noted that Qredter precipitation amounts occurred In 1921 at Pueblo, Co]orddo, in 1935 at Elbert, Colorddo, and jn 1965 at Palmer Lilkc, Colorddo. Since the 1976 flood, much hdS heen done in the Big Thompson Cdnyon. Odmaged structures dnd olher debris ,'Were clcd.ned up; the highway was rebuIlt; some affecLcd properties were purchased dnd turned over to public ownership; and some structures were repaired or replaced. The cost to the Ferlerdl Government was 552.7 mLLIIon; the cost t.o the Sldlc \Yas $1.5 million, and the co.t to Larimer County was $1.5 million. "" The Big Thompson Flood of 1976 wa. the mo.t recent major flood disaster to aFrect Colorado and ~erhaps the mo.t highly publiclzed. It was not, however, d unique event. In the pdst 10 yed~s alone, the following mdjor floods have occurred: 1973 - South Platte River (Denver to .tate line) 1976 - Biq Thompson Cdnyon 1977 - Eaton, Ault, Pierce and Nunn in Weld County 1980 - Larimer County rlooding--Cache la Poudre River and Big Thompson River 1981 - .Milliken, Sterling, Trinlrldd area Severe flooding occurs regularly in various parts of Colorddo, lives are lost in that floodlnq, and extensive damage to private and public property result. From that Flooding. In June 1921, flooding along the Arkansa. River in Pueblo. co.t 78 lives and $19 ml~llon in damaqe. In Hay 1935 Flooding on Monument Creek in Colordelo Sprinq5 cost. 18 lives olnrl $1.76 mil... Lion .in ddmage. Between 1896, and 1946 45 persons were ki lied on. Bear Creek and Mount Vernon Creek in the Horrlson..Klttredge-Ever.. Qreen area. Further severe floods have occurred since 1946 in .the same dr~d. H(!.lVY rlooflinfl look ploJcc dlonC) nould(!r Crr.ck in Caulder in 1894, 1914, 1921, ~n~ 1~)8. In June 19G5, molny drCdS in Co.lorcldo experienccd hCdVY floodlnq. The most severe floorlinq wa$ alonq the ^rkanscls River ~nd it.s ~ribut.drlc~ (16 dCdllls in CoLQr~~o, New Mexico, dn~ Kansas) and alonq the South Platte River and its tributaries-(B dCl.lLh~ l.Ind $500 mi II iurl ill r1.IIll.Il((:--:))OO lIIi II ion if. I)cIIVCr' alone). In Hay 1973, heavy PldlLc aq~in (10 dealll~ ~nd floodinq took piace along the South 5121.5 mi Ilion In (l.lm.l~Jcs). In the 1921 floodinq in Pueblo, lhere ,,"cre lcvees on Lt)e Arkansas River. Otherwise there 'hiS lIltle floodpl.1in mandqemenl to prevenl extensIve ddmaQe. By lhp. time of lhc 1965 floodjng In lhe South Pldll~ and lhe Arkdnsds HiveI' Ddslns, however, the SituatIon WdS different. Structural elements of d floodplain moJnaqement proQrdm (John MartIn Reservoir nn the ^rkdnSijS River dnd Cherry Creek Reservoir on Cherry Crcc~) sl()nirlcdnt.ly reduced POtentldl rlood rlows .and the lo~~c:> t.hdt. would rc~ull rrum them. Damages incurred In recent floods re..emphdsIze that much remains to be done In terms of both structurdl and non-struclurdl elements or floodplaln mdnagement. c. --:: ... -". .'l.... ..<<._F,. 'L...~.~t.::-..:;:---~...-: