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<br />" <br /> <br />Characteristic vegetation in the Rangely area is determined by the <br />interaction of several critical fac.tors, such as availability of <br />moisture, exposure, temperature, and elevation. In the irmediate <br />environs, which are best defined as desert rangeland, the vegetation <br />includes sal r-bush, shadscale, bud sage, and hardy grasses. In the <br />foothill regions, cover is predominantly comprised of big sagebrush <br />with an understory of grasses. Aspen, spruce, and fir are character- <br />istic further up-slope, and arctic 'varieties of willow, sedge, and <br />clover are found above timberline. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />""""', <br /> <br />In generali- the drainage pattern of Rangely is from southeast to <br />northwest. The White River flows westerly on a meandering course <br />just north of Rangely. It does not enter the town except at its <br />northeast corner. The drainage basin of Dragon Wash is south of the <br />town. The streamway enters the town about midway along its soqthern <br />boundary, thence bears westerly and northwesterly to join the White <br />River. High School Ravine debouches into the east-central section <br />of town, and its drainage area is partly out of the cormunity. St. <br />Timothy Wash is east of Rangely. Its streamway joins the White River <br />northeast of the town. <br /> <br />... <br /> <br />Approximate drainage areas of the streamways under study, together <br />with pertinent stream gradients, arE~ shown in the following table: <br /> <br /> Approximate Drainage Average Gradientl <br />Streamway Location (Square Miles) (Feet Per Mile) <br />White River State Highway 64 3310.00 8 <br />Dragon Wash Corporate Limits 2.40 50 <br />High School <br />Ravine Mouth 0.05 350 <br />St. Timothy <br />Wash State Highway 64 0.15 325 <br /> <br />1 <br />In Study Segment <br /> <br />.. <br /> <br />Rangely rests on a bedrock formation of Mancos Shale of the Upper <br />Cretaceous age. This layer is more than 5000 feet thick, and is <br />essentially a dark grey, calcareous" marine deposit that weathers <br />light grey to yellow brown. Seleni 1:e gypsum is cormon throughout <br />the formation. The soils of this area have formed under a low <br />effective annual precipitation. Soil parent materials are mainly <br />calcareous, clayey shales and sands 1:one s ; however, sandy and gravelly <br />outwash, wind-blown sands and silts., and alluvial sediments are also <br />extensive. Surface soils are light colored and range in texture <br />from sandy loam to silty clay. Subsoils are principally clay loam <br />or clay in texture, and have a permE~abili ty rate that varies from <br />moderate to slow. Sandy subsoils with a high permeability rate are <br />a minor component within the area. <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />>._~...~- <br /> <br />"""'" <br />