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Des.::ription ,I I ! Description The recorded t~rature at Fort Collins has varied from a low of -41"1' to a high of 102 F. The mean daily temperature is 48 degrees. Average frost-free growing season is 144 days from May 8 to September 29, Water Uses and Sources have been intensively managed, and have little commercial forest-product potential. The primal')' value of existing trees is for watershed pro- tection. There is sane mineral production of gypsum, gravel and orna- mental rode and oil and gas in the watershed. The Ideal Cement COIllpany has a plant and quarry west of the watershed and northwest of Fort Collins. A small oil and gas field is lcx;ated across the flood plain northwest of Wellington, Colorado. There,is Seine rural expansion of residential and canmercial develop. ment lnto the agricultural flood plains in the vicinity of Wellington and along Highway 14 and Interstate Ilighway 25, east of Fort Collins. Fort Collins, with estimated 1969 population of 42,50Cl, is the COWIty Seat and largest .::ity in Larimer County. In addition to being a major trade c:enterforone of the state's foremost agricultural areas, the city's econall)' is further stinulated by ric:h mineral production, diversified industrial development and outstanding recreational and educational opportunities in the area. It is the hane of Colorado State University, a land grant college. Over 120 manufacturing indus- tries were listed in 1969. Boxelder Creek has a small base flow that is diverted to stockwater and irrigation uses. Water users own adjudicated rights in excess of the normal flows and to the flood flows originating in the watershed. No surplus of water for other uses is available. Irrigated lands in the watershed are primarily served by gravity flow diversion from the North Fork Cache la Poudre River with some diversion and mmlCl'OOS irrigation wells along the Boxelder dl~el to supplement gravity flows. Wells also supply domestic and commercial needs of Wellington as well as the individual rural fannsteads. In the lower portion of the watershed the Farmers Hane Administration made a loan to install a camnunity water system, the Northern Colorado Water Associa- tion, whic:h now has over 300 taps. Nunerous small lakes and reservoirs used to store water for irrigation are largely polluted and silted with sediment frail diversion of flO<X!. water. Loss of this capacity has required increases in M1OUI\t of water diverted and the llIllount plmlpCd for irrigation. The North Poudre Irri- gation Company has recently completed a new reservoir on Park Creek, west of the Boxelder Creek Watershed, under the provisions of the 1I. S. Bureau of Reclamation's Small Projects Act (P.L. 984). It has 7,320 acre-feet capacity for irrigation to regulate water storage and to re- place storage lost in older reservoirs in the system. OCOro.tIC DATA ~riculture It is expected that most of the watershed will remain in agricultural uses with part of the irrigated land in the vicinity of Wellington and Fort Collins and along the major highways being platted for rural and ca<mercial developments because of the expanding areas of satellite residential and shopping areas outside of the core cities and along the newly completed Interstate Highway 2S and connecting highways. The livestock industry. principally cattle and sheep with a few pigs. is well established. Most of the operators have grazing allotments on the Roosevelt National Forest. Quite a few are members of four grating associations that control 39,420 acres of rangeland in the watershed. Others pasture their stock on deeded land and leased State land. Scme rent irrigated land for fall and winter pasture. Agricultural crops for Larimer County were valued at $13,064,544 in 1969. Major irrigated crops grown include alfalfa, sugar beets, com, small grains and ccmnercial vegetables. There is SlXl1e liinter wheat grown on a wheat fallaw rotation on dry cropland. The per acre value for irrigated land is about $800, non-irrigated crop- land is $100 per acre, and for rangeland $50 per acre. Nearly all operating units hire additional help, particularly during critical op- erational periods. The value of agricultural land converted to resi- dential and cam.ercial developments is about $1.500 per acre. The land owners and q>erators are progressive resulting in and making for a better than average farm and rancli econarry. EcoTlOOly of the Watershed The I>oxelder Creek Watershed comprises 24 square miles in the south- eastern edge of Wyoming, about 7 square miles in the western edge of Weld County, Colorado and about 220 square miles err tho northeastern portion of Larimer County located in the north central part of Colorado and on the north side of the Cache la Poudre River east of Fort Collins, Colorado. Lari.mer COUl1ty, wit.': :!. 1969 estiJ!o.:!.ted populaticn ::of 83,7!l7 listec :::gri- <;=ulture and manufacturing as the major sourc:e of incCllle, ranked third ln the state in tons of hay harvested, sixth in tons of sugar beets and fourth in barley and dairy cattle, It ranked fifth in total min- eral production and first in cement production. 'IJ.le watershed economy is basically agricultural with cattle, sheep and wlldllfe produced on the rangeland and high valued crops on the irri- gated lands. None of the woodlands in thl" upper part of the watershed ... -6-