My grandfather always explained,"The Sylvester home is not in the floodplain!" And he was right! He had the wisdom to put the house 4 feet above ground level, and the high water line was several hundred yards north of the house.

By approximately 1879, the upper S. Platte was fully adjudicated (Senior users put it to beneficial use through irrigation and canal development.) from its headwaters to the Greeley, CO area. Everything east is Junior and dependent upon Senior for its "artificial flow."

The S. Platte River is a "gaining - or artificial stream." It is not a natural stream, as it's dependent on snowpack/precipitation and historically dried near Kersey, CO.

Here are some valid reasons why you can't call the 9/13/13 Epic Water Event a flood.

a) Man-made unattainable 100% augmentation demands.
b) Man-made streets - houses/parking lots etc.
c) Improper irrigation diversions and dams along river.
d) The 2 narrow bridges built over the S. Platte on Colorado Highway 85, were built over 50 years ago and based on a lesser stream flow.
e) More trees, debris etc.
f) Man-made blocking of essential dam and storage building.

The combination of these man-made factors along with epic rains in key places contributed to what should be classified as an "Epic Water Event," and not...a flood.

Chuck Sylvester
P.O. Box 155
LaSalle, CO 80645