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The climate varies slightly from the Denver metropolitan area to the prairie lands in the east; but, generally, it is characteristic of the temperate high plains. The mean annual temperature is 50.20F with a mean annual snowfall of 45 inches and rainfall of 14.05 inches. The mean growing season is 139 days. " Adams County was fragmented from Arapahoe County in November 1902, by the state legislature. During the early days of national expansion and exploration, Adams County was visited by many trappers and explorers, including General Zebulon Pike in 1806 and General John C. Fremont in 1853. When gold was discovered along Clear Creek and elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain foothills, extensive growth was experienced, and permanent settlement began. In 1858, Colonel Jack Henderson established the first permanent settlement, called Henderson's Island, near what is now the present town of Henderson. The Kansas Pacific and the Denver Pacific Railroads, in 1871, built lines through what is now the City of Brighton, bringing the impetus for increased cattle production and agricultural development along the South Platte River Valley. ... Today, Adams County is one of the richest irrigated and dry land farming areas in the country. The southwestern corner of the county has undergone heavy industrial development. In recent years the county has experienced a rapid growth in population resulting from Denver metropolitan area urbanization and subsequent suburban develop- ment. The U.S. Census Bureau lists county population figures for 1970, 1974, and 1980 (projected) as 185,789; 225,600; and 263,827, respectively. This kind of development pressure is now, and will continue to be, evident in and along the flood plains of Big Dry Creek, Little Dry Creek, Clear Creek, First, Second, and Third Creeks, and the South Platte River. Residential growth has also occurred along the banks of Box Elder Creek and Comanche Creek. The South Platte River flows through the county in shifting channels in a broad, shallow bed with low, flat overbanks. It is a contin- uous flowing stream, whereas all the tributaries except Clear Creek are intermittent flowing streams. The South Platte River and its tributaries have two major flooding characteristics, snow melt and summer weather fronts or thunderstorms. The tributary basins are narrow, hydraulically steep, and composed of highly erodible clay loam soils. In the undeveloped portions of the basins, the ground cover is predominantly a short grass called buffalo grass and willow and cottonwood trees. Clear Creek and tributaries in the eastern two-thirds of the county flow in wide flat channels similar to the South Platte River. .. Development has occurred up to the channels on the tributaries. The flood plain on the South Platte River in the past was mostly agri- cultural, but today commercial, industrial, and residential develop- ment has encroached into the flood plain. In most of the segments of the flood plains, development pressures continue to ::; 4