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~ i~; ~. ~ / 1.- '..J ;.,. ~. " -:.. . b. Cherry Creek basin. Cherry Creek is a right-bank plains tributary of' the South Platte River and enters the South Platte River in a highly developed business and industrial area of Denver. The Cherry Creek basin is about 54 miles long and averages 10 miles wide. The basin drains an approximately 410-square-mile area located generally to the south of' Denver. Cherry Creek flows north-northwest f'rom the head of the basin, which is about 10 miles northeast of Colorado Springs, to its confluence with the South Platte River. Portions of El Paso, Elbert, Douglas, Arapahoe, and Denver Counties lie within the basin. The Cherry Creek basin is bounded by the Plum Creek basin on the west, and by the Boxelder Creek and Sand Creek basins on the east. The primary tributaries are West Cherry Creek, Antelope Creek, Lake GulCh, and Willow Creek. Cherry Creek Dem and Reservoir is located about 12 miles upstream :from the mouth of Cherry Creek and controls 385 square miles of the basin's drainage area. The Cherry Creek basin is shown on plate 1, appendix I. 5. TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, AND SOILS a. Sand Creek basin. The topography in the Sand Creek basin ranges :from deeply-dissected rolling terrain in the southern portion of the basin to a gentle-sloping terrain in the northern portion of' the basin. Valleys are narrow in the upstream areas and broad in the downstream areas. Elevations within the basil.. range from about 6600 f'eet to about 5100 f'eet. Sand Creek lies in the Denver Basin geologie region, a large elongated north-south-oriented syncline. The west side of' the Denver Basin lies in the f'oothills of' the Rocky Mountain Front Range. The geologic formations dip steeply away f'rom the upthrust mountains toward the syncline axis, which passes through the city of Denver. Eastward from Denver f'or 60 to 70 miles, the geologic formations rise gently. The f'ormations within the Denver Basin are composed mostiy of' sedimentary deposits. These f'ormations range in age :from Cretaceous to Tertiary and include shales and sandstones. Recellt overburden materials include residual soils; windblown sand and silt; and alluvia consisting of' silty clay, clayey silt, and silty sand. Sand and gravel deposits are located along the main stem of Sand Creek. b. Cherry Creek basin. The Cherry Creek basin upstream :from Franktown has steeply to moderately rolling topography withponderosa pine growing on the higher ridges. Occasional steep-sided buttes and mesas occur.in this area. Stream valleys are narrow with sloping sides. A narrow belt across the central part of' the basin, :Immediately upstream f'rom Franktown, is . 5 ,,L'"