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<br />study is the newly constructed McPhee Reservoir, im~e6iatelv <br />west and north of the town of ~olor~s. All flocdwaters ~i~,l <br />flow into this reservoir. The ~Dstream limit of st~~y is <br />immediately east (upstream) of '~he town of Dolorps Kater- <br />treatment facility, which is, in turn, east of t.he town of <br />Dolores. It is a short distance west of the water treatme~t <br />facility that floodwaters would first cross over Hiahway '<5 <br />and flow into town. To preve~t waters from flo~'inq into <br />Dolores, a flood protection projf,ct would have to c:.:cpct <br />them into the river channel at this uestream eoint. Ooly <br />then could protection at the other potential breakout points <br />be justified. A structural mitigation project ~~houldr <br />therefore, address the enti:ce study area. <br /> <br />2. The Setting <br /> <br />2.1 <br /> <br />DescriDtion <br /> <br />of <br /> <br />the <br /> <br />St uc v <br /> <br />p.~f;a <br /> <br />The town of Dolores is in the Dolores Rive!" basin in <br />the Four-Corners area of Colorado. Upstream o~ Dolores the <br />river basically flows from northeast to southwes;t. At <br />Dolores it enters McPhee Reservoir, at which point the <br />direction of flow changes to northwesterly. The river then <br />flo\\'s to the Colorado Rive~, joining that stream in easter:: <br />Utah about 100 airline miles northwesterly c~ Dc)lores. <br />(See Plate 1.) <br /> <br />The Dolores Rive~ rises In the San Juan RarlC€, i~ <br />southwestern Colorado. ~~ ~o~a:, it d~ai~s abo::~ 570 S=U2~e <br />miles upstrearr from Dolo~es. Eleva~ions range ~~~om about <br />6900 feet at Dolo:ces to over 14,000 feet ic ~he high <br /> <br />heaawater re9ions. <br /> <br />~imbe~ec wi:.h pine, <br /> <br />Much of the higher drainage area is <br /> <br />--- f <br /> <br />2.r;.:'} S:;:::';Jce, .....~:.l:.le :Ov-' :)::-:..:s~ <br /> <br />dominates in the lower e:eva~io~s in Dolores. <br /> <br />~;':rea-r:'L <br /> <br />g~aa.ients upstream from Dolores average abou': 3D :eet Dey <br />mile. <br /> <br />The oldest known residents o~ the Dolores l~~ea were ~he <br />Anasazi Indians who occupied the :cegion until about 900 <br />A.D. Particularly during the construction of 1:~e McPhee <br />Reservoir, many artifacts of ~:~e:;e people have b'2en found by <br />archaeologists. Several centuries later, in 1776, the <br /> <br />-2- <br />