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<br />Littlo Drv Cr~~k i~ the next qownstr'1a~ tribut9~V. Thi5
<br />b<ls i n i s "dj~cent /lnd parJllel to that of 8in Dry Creek .ond has a
<br />",""'.lrill 5i",i larity. TM'.l W<ltershed Gontains 25 contributir>] SQuare
<br />",lies and h.1S ~ mllxi",u", width of 3.5 miles ~nd In Ilp~roxi.,~te lengt~
<br />of 13 ",i les. Th Is b~si 1', II Ka that of Diq Dry Creok, extends trO'Tl
<br />t!w hiJI',IMlds in northeastern Douglas County through hills .,ell-
<br />dissected by J.J II res. ,'I'd slo~es nort"westward to the Sowth PI"tt'1
<br />Rivur. The hills tund to be rugged near the hiDhlands andrr"Ore rolli"9
<br />i r. tho Ic'.er t;.~s in. The "1ili h 5~em heads near Intersta+(j HI.ghway 25
<br />in Arapahoe County ~'l- about 00 lev~tion 5,750 feet, "",an SAil lev€ I,
<br />and il principle tributllry, Willow Creek, originates in the hlghllmds
<br />of nortrh:lrn DouglilS COl>nty at elevation 6,3-:)0 fe.,t, "mlln Sea level.
<br />ThGstrea"'sfIO'dnorthwosterlytoajunctionnearSouthHollyStreet;
<br />Little Dry Crook continues no~thwesterly through Greenwood and Che~ry
<br />Hi lis Vi Ilagec, to ""At the South Piatte Rive" j ~ Eng lewood at an
<br />elovationof about 5,260 feet, mean 5ea levEli. ThestrMM valley in
<br />the uppor watershed is vo~y narrow, with S S~OQP-sided, V-shapnd,
<br />cr055soction. Belowt'\e'.'illloliCreck-Littli;>!;ryCreckj'"nctior1the
<br />s~rf'il" is ,"or", 5i ~uous ilnd the va II'?'I .' i'!€n~ " I i <till, ~vHr,'q i no a
<br />cu"rter-mi Ie across. Str.,a01 5lo~es !lre r"liltl ve Iy steop, ilvcr",,; rn
<br />7r, fne.t pnr _"i Ie IrT> the headwaters to t'lle Little '1ry-\;i 110." Creek~
<br />cont I ~ance and 36 feet ~er elT I e tor toe ~e"''' i n~er. n.e upper port j on
<br />",f Ilw w"l..r~h"J i~ ,"(.("pri~.eJ vi n,I;:'.'~1, lxlrr.e,." ..:r.) ilgrl~y:t<lril:
<br />
<br />land with 5cMtered residences. The Jo...erportio" is hiJhlycevoloped
<br />and cons; ,;t5 01 tho buslnll~S and resi d,,~tL'!1 soctlon of ErnJ 18,,,000 and
<br />estat"..typ'f residentl,,1 development in thO 5Jhurtmn "roa. City Ditch
<br />and Hig" I i no C.;na I Ii i sect till) 1C'.er bas i r, i ntercepti n<: side" III ru~-
<br />ofl and s8voral 5"<11 i dr~lnil'W5.
<br />GreenwooJ Gu Icr" ~ r1ajor tribl>t~ry of Little Dr'! Creek,
<br />i~ Io<;~tec in the E~slewoOO area. The b~~in I~ e! Ilpse~shaped. abo<lt
<br />6"i165 ir IAngth with a c18ximum 'dldth of 2 ",iles, "nd drain, J.6
<br />,quar" Mil,,~, Tho ~as i n hA~ds nellr Interstet" 11191'.W3;" 25 c~s+ of
<br />'_Ittlcl'o~ ie r',r~,~"r10C. Cocnty. and slopes r'0rtll'N"'~t'~~r,;. Thfl
<br />
<br />tO~O<JrapMy Is ch~r"cte.-Izej by rolling hi II';. The srre,'" fl(,.,,5 "",th-
<br />..est~"rd /,(Y(I its 50'.',<;" thro.,j<}h ~r':lenw~ Il,d Cherry f;i II~ Vllld<}es.
<br />A~ the stnlam enters the J(r,,,,lopf>d <>ortlon of the basin, it i5 cTvert'ld
<br />Into Ci+y Dltcll. ~ IO'I/s frOl'1 Greenwood Gl> leh exc"ed i ng tr-.e d itchc~r~e-
<br />ity fOllow ""overla"d route to the Littlc Dr'{Cce'Jk ciz"nel above
<br />South Clarkson Street. ElsvJtion~ rang(' d long th" 'Ndt"rcourse froo
<br />about 5,700 feet. "eiln soa levol. toabout5,350feet,rooansea Illvel.
<br />Tho valley isanoutJqJJsdor",lle'dide, but nOJrtheuoperenG it iz
<br />steep-sided and nJrrower. &glnnlngaboutamiieupstreaO\tromE""le-
<br />wood, Greenwood Gu Ich paralic I s anj Shares the sJrne v~ Iley '.itM Lltt Ie
<br />Dry Creek. The avor1ge 51000 ot tho stream through the middle ilnd
<br />IQwtlr reaches Is about 38 feet ~er mile.
<br />Thoch;:mnelsof8igandLittleJryCreeksareCJ""bleof
<br />contJlnlng dlscoarges from minor storm~ but flo.s resulting fro~ Inf,e.
<br />quent, seve~e, high-hten5ity raTnf~11 exceed e~anMI capacity nearly
<br />throughout. This t lood thre.,t i 5 not well known and ur~!lnl ~atlon h~s
<br />occurred without regurj lor t~e ~d7.drd.
<br />~rbani~aticn, co"prjsTnq developm~nts 11 Jnd ~ear E"glo~
<br />\'Iood, ,-ittl..to.1, ilrld Gr~enwood Vi I i,,~)u, dOMinilto~ t!l~ 10"'0.5 'TIi le~
<br />ot Big Jry Cree~ basin, Or approxim~tely the lower half. The upper
<br />b8<,jn frm ~bo:Jt a ,,110 'lOr+h of +,>" t'.ilpah,...,-[)ouSI~s Cn!Jnty line i~,
<br />,t; II ~evotod to croppi"'.) .~":J gre'll":). T~.~ ~~h".r.~" CO",,"'"1itlc~ In
<br />recent YrJar, havo bean edvi\nc i 1'9 o;t'1<'d Ily .Jp~tr"'~m. It i s antlcip~te-d
<br />th~t by 1980 res;dcntiol dovelopment may rOJC" the ~outh edgo of
<br />Ar~pJ~oe County end ~y 2000, may occueY the less r:Jggod p~r~s of the
<br />upper b~~i n.
<br />
<br />Since the usta~lish~ent of Englewood noar tie nouth of
<br />Little l:ry Creek d tho ~o~i1nlng ot tbo century, Jnd especially
<br />since World War II, urbanlziltlo~ h~s be"n prOlresslnl up the Little
<br />Dry Cre"k basin. Englewood ~"m On '~i Ilow Crenk Mar the midpoint of
<br />th<j,basln, Is being a?proac'led frOfi' the west. nort'l,andeJstby
<br />scattered residential development. Urbanization may extend to the
<br />Ara~ahoe-Do~glas Countv line a~c ~~rts 01 the uppe, basin by year IO~O
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