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t 2.04.7(2) <br />' North Fork Gunnison River. Severe floods result when rapid <br />' ~' snowmelt is augmented by rain. The largest flood known in the <br />Gunnison River basin occurred in June 1884. It is probable <br />that flood conditions along the North Fork were also severe <br />' that year. <br />' Generally, high flows along the North Fork Gunnison River are <br />contained in-channel, and extensive overbank flooding is <br />' infrequent. However, newspaper accounts indicate flood damage <br />to orchards, roads and road bridges, railroad facilities, homes, <br />' and business establishments in 1906, 1907, 1912, 1916, 1917, 1920, <br />and 1927. All flood events occurred in May with damage specifically <br />mentioned in Bowie, Paonia, and Hotchkiss. Serious erosion <br />' of farmland, pastureland, and orchards is known to have occurred. <br />In descending order of magnitude, the highest recorded flows <br />' on the North Fork occurred in Play 1932, June 1957, Play 1929, <br />May 1973, Play 1928, and May 1974. Peak flows of the larger <br />historical floods on the North Fork Gunnison River in the study <br />area are shown on Table 2.04.7(2)(b)(i)-2. <br />' Paonia Dam and Reservoir, a multiple-purpose project built by <br />the U.S. F7ater and Power Resources Service on Muddy Creek just <br />upstream from the junction of Pluddy and Anthracite Creeks, <br />became operational in 1961. Affording 21,000 acre-feet of <br />' storage capacity, the facility is operated by the North Fork <br />Water Conservancy District to provide flood control during <br />periods of high snowmelt runoff. <br />' Although floods with magnitudes and frequencies similar to those <br />of past floods could recur, discussion of future floods in this <br />' report is limited primarily to one designated as the 100-year <br />flood. A 100-year flood has a peak flow magnitude with a 1 <br />percent chance of being equalled or exceeded in any given year, <br />' or a frequency of occurrence of about once in 100 years. The <br />term "100 - year flood" relates to a flood magnitude and does <br />not mean that the flood will occur one time in a 100-year period. <br />' REVISED Piay 15, 1981 47-2b O~® 6tiP~ t'C~Ml7 -1~PQ~l(/}~~p~ <br />