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was a true backwater formed during high flows in the main channel. It appeared as <br />the water level receded and remained attached to the main river channel. The <br />approximate dimensions of the Ouray backwater were ten meters wide at the mouth <br />by 50 m in length. The average depth was 1.3 m. The substrate during the first <br />sample period on July 10th consisted of very fine sand and silt. In some areas the top <br />layer of sandy substrate overlaid a softer layer underneath. On the last sample period, <br />5 weeks later, a 2-13 cm layer of flocculent covered the layer of sand. <br />River channel <br />The river channel site was situated directly downstream of the Ouray backwater. <br />A submerged sand bar extended out from the backwater into the main channel. The <br />sample site was between the sandbaz and the bank. The substrate in the river was <br />composed of a sand and silt mixture with 50 percent of the sediment washing through <br />a 63 micron mesh. In some samples, farther from the mouth of the backwater, <br />pockets of detritus were found. <br />Fl lain <br />The seasonal floodplain was located in a depression within a bend in the river <br />known as Old Chazley Wash. This azea is flooded yeazly during high water and as the <br />river recedes the inlet is dammed. It then dries through seepage and evaporation. By <br />the fall the area dries completely and vegetation fills in the basin. At its highest level <br />this seasonal pond inundates 43 hectazes and is two meters deep. The substrate was <br />5 <br />