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<br />~ r;_~' ~'~ ~( <br />.;"'" -,,'" \_, 'J J <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />PART IV--HYDROLOGY <br /> <br />WATER RESOURCES <br /> <br />Recording Stations and Flows <br /> <br />St. Vrain Creek flows into the South Platte River about 13 miles <br />northeast of Longmont. The St. Vrain Creek basin encompasses an <br />area of about 1,000 square miles. The basin area is divided physio- <br />graphically into two parts: a mountainous area, which produces most <br />of the runoff of the basin, and the foothills and plains area, <br />which is the water-use area of the basin. The mountainous area <br />covers about 510 square miles, or 51 percent of the basin, and the <br />foothills and plains area includes about 490 square mi~es, or <br />49 percent. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The basin contains two distinct drainage areas: the St. Vrain <br />Creek area and the Boulder Creek area. The four main tributaries of <br />St. Vra:l.n Creek are the North S". Vrain, Middle St. Vrain, South <br />St. Vrain, and Lefthand Creeks. Channels of the North, Middle ,and <br />South St. Vrain Creeks head at the Continental Divide. Lefthand Creek <br />heads lower in the basin above the town of Ward, and joins the main <br />stem near the southeast corner of Longmont. <br /> <br />The main tributaries of Boulder Creek draining the mountainous <br />area are the North Boulder, Middle Boulder, and South Boulder Creeks <br />and Fourmile Creek. Coal Creek heads low on the frontal range south <br />of Boulder and joins Boulder Creek about 5 miles above the confluence <br />of Boulder Creek with the St. Vrain Creek. <br /> <br />Streamflow in the basin has been measured at 20 locations. <br />Only eight of those gaging stations are presently in operation. <br />South St. Vrain Creek is measured near Ward; St. Vrain Creek flows, <br />are recorded at its mouth near Platteville, at Lyons, and near <br />Longmont; Middle Boulder Creek is gaged at Nederland; South Boulder <br />Creek near Eldorado Springs; Boulder Creek near Orodell; and Coal <br />Creek is measured near Plainview. The location of the existing <br />gaging stations is shown on exhibit 1. Table 1 gives the year@ of <br />record, drainage area, and average annual flow recorded by each <br />of the existing gages and the others which previously existed. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />10 <br /> <br />...,- <br /> <br />