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confluence with Carpenter Wash upstream for a distance of approximately <br />2,080 feet; ( fl South Central, which was studied from approximately 750 <br />feet upstream of its con~luence with McElmo Creek upstream for a <br />distance of approximately 3,520 feet; (g) West South Central, which was <br />studied from its confluence with South Central upstream for a distance of <br />approximately 1,740 feet; and (h) Walmart Tributary, which was studied <br />from Main Street downstream for a distance of approximately 3,670 feet. <br />Approximate methods of analysis were used to study all the remaining areas <br />having a potential flood hazard that did not have available detailed scientific or <br />technical data. <br />2.2 Community Description <br />Montezuma County <br />Montezuma County is located in southwestern Colorado, bordered by San Juan <br />County, Utah, to the west; the U~te Mountain Indian Reservation and San Juan <br />County, New Mexico to the south; La Plata County, Colorado, to the east; and <br />Dolores County, Colorado, to the r~orth. <br />The mean annual precipitation in the Montezuma County area is approximately <br />16 inches. From July to October, approximately 40 percent of the normal annual <br />precipitation results from rain, generally thunderstorms. From November to June, <br />the remaining 60 percent of the normal annual precipitation occurs as snow. <br />Winters are long and cold, with mean daily temperatures of approximately 30° F <br />between November and March. Summers are short and hot with mean daily <br />temperatures greater than 90° F(Muller Engineering, March 1982). <br />According to the U.S. Bureau of ~he Census, the population in the county grew <br />from 16,510 in 1980 to 23,830 in 2000, an increase of 44.3 percent (LT.S. <br />Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census). <br />City of Cortez <br />The City of Cortez is located in north central Montezuma County, in southwestern <br />Colorado. Cortez lies along U.S. Highway 160, approximately 45 miles west of <br />Durango and 15 miles west of the '~'own of Mancos. The City of Cortez is located <br />near Mesa Verde National Park and McPhee Reservoir. <br />Drainage corridors within the Ci~y of Cortez consist of steep, highly eroded <br />channels that have been cut into the existing terrain. Floodplain overbank areas <br />are almost non-existent as the flood flows are primarily contained within the <br />incised channels. <br />