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0' ,-. , d., ,,1 1: Th~ Big: Blue Basin jo;; loca1l'd in south Ct'nlral ~ebraska ;Jod nortlll'ast I-:ansas and is a pari of the Kans.:ls River Basin. The Big Blue River joins the Kansas River nl.'ar .\bohanan, Kansas. The states of K:msas and :'\'ebraska arc pn.'sently negotiating a compact to control the use of strcamllow in the Big Blue Rivt'r. Tl1i.. n.'port is concerned with only that portion lying in Nl.'hraska. The :\ebrasb portion of the basin extenJs west 10 Hastings. north to O;lvid City and east to near Burchard. LOCATION The an:a of Ihe :'\cbrasb portion of the basin totals 4.560 square miles Of approximatdy ~.C).:!O.OOO ant's. Thl;' greatest length west 10 cast is about 130 miles \....hik Iht' maximum north-soulh distance IS approximately 100 miles. The northern part of I Ill' basin is about 55 mitt."s west of Omaha, ;\l'br:!sb and till.: southern l'd~e is some :-S5 mill's northwesl of 51. Joseph, .\lisSQuri. Lincoln, \\'hraska is only 12 to 15 mill'S t':lst of the basin. ~..,' I '. .'- - -.... ~- ..~... ,. ~~ u . . .-- -- ,- , - ...,:; ...--:" ,. . -_..- - to ....- TOPOGRAPHY Thl.: upPl'r basin is generally composl.:d of 10l.'5oS plains with some ..HC'as so Ilat th:!t Iht"Y have no defined drainagl' pattern. The broad plains of Ihe upper basin lr:msccnd into dissl'cted tablelands near the center of Ihe basin. The main channds arc quilt' narrow ;lnd shalluw but arc bounded by fairl~' wide, high terraces. Thl'Sl' high terraces are rarely inundated. 161 The lower portion of the basin includes undulating lol's!; hills which have a more highly developed drainage pattern. This area and thl' t'scarpment arl'as of the upper basin are subjl.'ct 10 sl.'\'ere sheet and gully erosion. The overJII slopl.> of the basin is toward the southeast with most streams flowing t'astward or southeast. Elevations range from 1.970 fe...1 above mean sea It''''el near lIastings to approximJlely 1.3~O feel Whl'H' the river leaH'S the state. Q