The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for information on floods from 1867 through water year 2015 and information on paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years. The geodatabase was created using Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS JavaScript Application Programing Interface.
Engineers, scientists, and water-resource managers will be able to use these data for floodplain regulation, dam-safety, infrastructure design, and other uses. The Colorado Flood Database has been recently updated through water 2015 and now includes flood information for 6,886 events at 1,624 sites throughout Colorado.
The accuracy of flood-frequency estimates can be greatly improved when historical flood information is included with systematically collected flood data (Interagency Committee on Water Data, 1982). Although many reports contain flood information for streams in Colorado, there is no centralized repository for this information, making it difficult to access flood data. Prior to the completion the Web-based flood database, much of the historical flood information for Colorado was stored in numerous published and unpublished reports and files in local, State, and Federal government agencies and the offices of engineering firms and universities. Although considerable research has been conducted using historical flood information in flood-frequency analyses, this information is often underutilized because of the uniqueness of each site and a lack of knowledge of each site’s location. Having an easy-to-use, Web-based geodatabase of historical flood and paleoflood information with links to sources of flood data allows engineers and water-resource managers to fully use these data leading to improved flood-frequency estimates of the largest floods in Colorado.
Flood Database interactive map (Updated through water year 2015)
OBJECTIVES:
- To develop a Web-based geodatabase accessible using an Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS map interface for flood information that will facilitate easier access to this information for the compilation of flood data and result in improved flood frequency estimates in Colorado;
- To include the following data sources of flood information: indirect discharge measurements stored in U.S. Geological Survey offices, floods from indirect discharge measurements referenced in U.S. Geological Survey reports, paleoflood studies from peer-reviewed journal articles, and the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System peak-streamflow database.
Below are data and tools associated with this project.
Major, trace, and rare earth element concentration measured in water samples collected during the September 2013 Colorado South Platte River flood
Below are publications associated with this project.
Web-based flood database for Colorado, water years 1867 through 2011
Estimates of peak flood discharge for 21 sites in the Front Range in Colorado in response to extreme rainfall in September 2013
Flooding in the South Platte River and Fountain Creek Basins in eastern Colorado, September 9–18, 2013
Paleoflood investigations for Cherry Creek Basin, Eastern Colorado
Data-based comparisons of moments estimators using historical and paleoflood data
Regional interdisciplinary paleoflood approach to assess extreme flood potential
Methodology and implications of maximum paleodischarge estimates for mountain channels, upper Animas River basin, Colorado, U.S.A.
Flood Database for Colorado
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for information on floods from 1867 through water year 2015. The flood database also contains information on paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years.
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for information on floods from 1867 through water year 2015 and information on paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years. The geodatabase was created using Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS JavaScript Application Programing Interface.
Engineers, scientists, and water-resource managers will be able to use these data for floodplain regulation, dam-safety, infrastructure design, and other uses. The Colorado Flood Database has been recently updated through water 2015 and now includes flood information for 6,886 events at 1,624 sites throughout Colorado.
The accuracy of flood-frequency estimates can be greatly improved when historical flood information is included with systematically collected flood data (Interagency Committee on Water Data, 1982). Although many reports contain flood information for streams in Colorado, there is no centralized repository for this information, making it difficult to access flood data. Prior to the completion the Web-based flood database, much of the historical flood information for Colorado was stored in numerous published and unpublished reports and files in local, State, and Federal government agencies and the offices of engineering firms and universities. Although considerable research has been conducted using historical flood information in flood-frequency analyses, this information is often underutilized because of the uniqueness of each site and a lack of knowledge of each site’s location. Having an easy-to-use, Web-based geodatabase of historical flood and paleoflood information with links to sources of flood data allows engineers and water-resource managers to fully use these data leading to improved flood-frequency estimates of the largest floods in Colorado.
Flood Database interactive map (Updated through water year 2015)
OBJECTIVES:
- To develop a Web-based geodatabase accessible using an Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS map interface for flood information that will facilitate easier access to this information for the compilation of flood data and result in improved flood frequency estimates in Colorado;
- To include the following data sources of flood information: indirect discharge measurements stored in U.S. Geological Survey offices, floods from indirect discharge measurements referenced in U.S. Geological Survey reports, paleoflood studies from peer-reviewed journal articles, and the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System peak-streamflow database.
- Data
Below are data and tools associated with this project.
Major, trace, and rare earth element concentration measured in water samples collected during the September 2013 Colorado South Platte River flood
Major flood events have the potential to impact water quality. In this study, the effects of the September 2013 South Platte River flood in Colorado were assessed on the urban water cycle and basin-wide scales using time-series water sampling of three source waters (tap water, wastewater treatment facility effluent, and receiving stream) and a longitudinal sampling of the South Platte River and it - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Web-based flood database for Colorado, water years 1867 through 2011
In order to provide a centralized repository of flood information for the State of Colorado, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for flood information from water years 1867 through 2011 and data for paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years. The geodatabase was created using the Environmental SysteAuthorsMichael S. Kohn, Robert D. Jarrett, Gary S. Krammes, Amanullah MommandiEstimates of peak flood discharge for 21 sites in the Front Range in Colorado in response to extreme rainfall in September 2013
Extreme rainfall in September 2013 caused destructive floods in part of the Front Range in Boulder County, Colorado. Erosion from these floods cut roads and isolated mountain communities for several weeks, and large volumes of eroded sediment were deposited downstream, which caused further damage of property and infrastructures. Estimates of peak discharge for these floods and the associated rainfAuthorsJohn A. MoodyFlooding in the South Platte River and Fountain Creek Basins in eastern Colorado, September 9–18, 2013
On September 9, 2013, rain began to fall in eastern Colorado as a large low-pressure system pulled plumes of tropical moisture northward from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. By September 16, 2013, as much as 12 to 20 inches of rain had fallen in the foothills of the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains and adjacent plains near Colorado Springs, Colorado, north to the Colorado-WyomAuthorsRobert A. Kimbrough, Robert R. HolmesPaleoflood investigations for Cherry Creek Basin, Eastern Colorado
In 1950 when Cherry Creek dam, which is located in Denver. Colorado, was completed, the design flood was 5,126 m3/s. Two recent probable maximum flood (PMF) estimates for the dam range from 14,840 to 18,750 m 3/s demonstrate the uncertainty in estimating extreme flooding in eastern Colorado. PMF difference is due in part to a lack of extreme rainfall and flood data in eastern Colorado. A paleoflooAuthorsR.D. JarrettData-based comparisons of moments estimators using historical and paleoflood data
This paper presents the first systematic comparison, using historical and paleoflood data, of moments-based flood frequency methods. Peak flow estimates were compiled from streamflow-gaging stations with historical and/or paleoflood data at 36 sites located in the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom and China, covering a diverse range of hydrologic conditions. The Expected Moments Algorithm (AuthorsJ.F. England, R.D. Jarrett, J.D. SalasRegional interdisciplinary paleoflood approach to assess extreme flood potential
In the past decade, there has been a growing interest of dam safety officials to incorporate a risk‐based analysis for design‐flood hydrology. Extreme or rare floods, with probabilities in the range of about 10−3 to 10−7 chance of occurrence per year, are of continuing interest to the hydrologic and engineering communities for purposes of planning and design of structures such as dams [National ReAuthorsRobert D. Jarrett, Edward M. TomlinsonMethodology and implications of maximum paleodischarge estimates for mountain channels, upper Animas River basin, Colorado, U.S.A.
Historical and geologic records may be used to enhance magnitude estimates for extreme floods along mountain channels, as demonstrated in this study from the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Historical photographs and local newspaper accounts from the October 1911 flood indicate the likely extent of flooding and damage. A checklist designed to organize and numerically score evidence of flooding wasAuthorsJ. Pruess, Ellen E. Wohl, Robert D. Jarrett - Web Tools
Flood Database for Colorado
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for information on floods from 1867 through water year 2015. The flood database also contains information on paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years.
- Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.