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Mancos Watershed - 14080107
<br />P11ySICa1 I)eSCI'IptlOri Of the ~`ja11COS RIl'el' - lion Fi_TNCTIQN~IL .~55ESSAiENT OF THE AL~NCQS RIB"ERS~~.~TERSHED.
<br />nI~~NC'U5~'~~LLEI:INL) ~D7~~C'ENT~IRE.~tiPetc~rB. S'tac°erDc1>nrnrrerrtcrf'~iolo~ irrirer~srh Of'.'~c~lrBlecieo. ~00'
<br />The 1\Ialtcos Rig-er oriGinates in the ~yestarn flanl.s of the La Plata I~Iountailts, a lyestarn stlbranGe of tha Salt
<br />Juan Mountains in soutlttti-esterlt C'oloraclo. It then llotti-s soutltl~-gist tlu-ouGh the l~iancos Valley and Aialtcos
<br />Caltyon, until it joins tlta San Juan River in
<br />nortltjyestern Nety 1\leZico. The river is l lCi
<br />Roundup
<br />stiles in length, inchuling the major upstraant eievaiion 'd^ald~
<br />peee aeove sea ievep :'/.. '
<br />tlibutaries, ulcl drains an area of ,~<
<br />Hi4h ~ 13,^7.n it ~ _-
<br />approsinulteh- 800 square miles. Tha ~ ~,-
<br />I~Iancos River «~tershecl is hart of the '~"`°'" 'S"1t TAFa~
<br />Colorado Plateau GeoloGic region, anti is ,
<br />often cliviclacl into hyo main Harts: an upper -,:~}. .-~
<br />tti-atershad of approximately 203 square miles P ~ " ~+~f`I`: ~i`~ = ~, ti
<br />J I11~+1~~Y 7~~d
<br />that iltclucles Mancos ~ allay anti the ,Q~, 1 ,: ~ t.~{,
<br />sad ~ ~ ~pg(e. Mu i ~:l" ~.
<br />Stlrrol111Cllllg 111ot111ta111S; allcl a lol~ er area that ~i' ~,~ _ ~~ r ~ m19~01m8~Ay
<br />I• .E .An NOdse (Itlslo.IC9T)
<br />beGllis 111 ~Ia11COS ~'altyOll at tlla CO11tIlidllCe /-' s , „~,,,,,,
<br />of ~~"giber Creel., anti drains the mesa anti ; ~", 1' ,, ~'"'~°`'°"
<br />desert lotti-land counh~~ of 1\Iesa ~`ercle ,( r>.~3~:~~.
<br />National Yark, the Ute Mountain I_rtz Indian ,:ice ~~ I ~,~ ~ ~t ,t ~ ~ )
<br />Reservation anti the surrounding regions. __ - _ ___ - 1 , ~. ~;r
<br />Four main tributaries beGin amon4G the ridges - ~;_ _~~
<br />and peal, of tha upper «-atarshad (the
<br />lushest are Hesperus I~Iotultain and Lavender Peal: at 13.232 ft., and 13, 2-10 ft. respectively). Thee are the
<br />East, I~hclclle, anti ~~'est Mancos Rivars, and C'hickell('reek. _~ fifth nta~or trlbutary,l\Iucl ("rack, drains the
<br />to«-ar elevation regions in the nortltj~~astal-n part of tha upper «-atershed. Iu the lo~`-er j~ atershad, numerous
<br />small side canyons and ephemeral tyasltes inter the river as it moves tlu-ough Alancos Canyon. The river
<br />than flo~ys tlu-ouGh ralati~,-aly flat desert
<br />counts until it enters the San Juan River.
<br />Pr i itation
<br />Mean amnlal precipitation in the overall
<br />«-atershed ranGes ti-om Dyer -40 inches at tha
<br />11iRhest elevations in the nuxultains to less than
<br />8 inches lyhere the Mancos enters the San Juan
<br />R1~"ar.
<br />Tha Itiancos River travels tluou~h almost all of
<br />the major veGetation life zones found in the
<br />Colorado Plateau region, 111c111CI111G _~lpllle
<br />Ttln(lra, Sub-alpine Coluferous Forests,
<br />Spruce-Fir forasts, mizecl colufar forests,
<br />ponderosa pint forests, pinon-juniper forzsts,
<br />plains-mesa Grasslands, and savannah {nozy
<br />primarily converted to aGriculhua), and desert
<br />scrublallcls..~s a result, the liiolotrical diversity
<br />of both the aquatic aliCl terl'eStrlal rlparlall
<br />Co111111t11llt1eS aCrOSS the elltlre 1VatZr$hdd 1S
<br />1u611.
<br />rC: e~ p emga amem ~am9ip
<br />f s c 1~ °_• ~ 15• i~•
<br />11.5" 14' ~ i 7' :3.:
<br />i..' 14 ~' ld' ~ 2F..:
<br />(NC" 1/Cx~co-R.'01-J9=8MVUl I~i~plil
<br />f 9" ti" 13" ~ 75"
<br />Hydrogaolnoq~ltic conditions val-~- according to elevation. The high alavation reaches in the mountains,
<br />(genarally above 9500 ft), ara characterized by small, straight, narrojy, and high gradient streams. The balils
<br />and chamlel bottom are t~-pically either bedrock or comprised of boulders anti other material from nearby
<br />rocksformations. Tha surroundinG vaGetations is characteristic of southarn Rocly Mountain alpina huidra,
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