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<br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II. BASIN CHARACTERISTICS <br /> <br />2.1 Basin Description <br /> <br /> <br />II The Fossil Creek drainage basin is located on the south side of Fort <br /> <br /> <br />Collins, Colorado. Fossil Creek is tributary to the Cache la Poudre River <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />(Figure 1). The entire Fossil Creek drainage basin covers an area of approxi- <br /> <br /> <br />mately 32 square miles. The study area upstream of Fossil Creek Reservoir is <br /> <br /> <br />about 20.9 square miles. The watershed originates in the low foothills of the <br /> <br /> <br />Front Range. Fossil Creek and its tributaries flow in an easterly direction. <br /> <br /> <br />Major tributaries are Stanton Creek, Mail Creek, Lang Gulch, smith Creek and <br /> <br /> <br />Burns Tributary. Mean annual precipitation in the basin is about 15 inches. <br /> <br /> <br />The maximum annual precipitation is 28 inches. The watershed is mo9tly rural, <br /> <br /> <br />with about 85 percent grassland or cropland and about 15 percent developed. <br /> <br /> <br />The basins are composed of grass covered, rolling hills. The elevation of the <br /> <br /> <br />watershed varies from 5,930 feet above mean sea level (ft msl) to about 4,865 <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />ft msl at Fossil Creek Resevoir. The average monthly mean temperature in Fort <br /> <br /> <br />Collins range from 260F in January to 700F in July, with record low and high <br /> <br /> <br />temperatures of -410F and 1020F, respectively. <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />2.2 Study Area <br /> <br /> <br />The basin study area consists of about 20.9 square miles upstream of <br /> <br /> <br />Fossil Creek Reservoir. The channel study area included 17 stream miles <br /> <br /> <br />(Figure 2). There were 8.6 miles on Fossil Creek between Fossil Creek <br /> <br /> <br />Reservoir and Taft Hill Road; 1.3 miles on Stanton Creek between the <br /> <br /> <br />confluence with Fossil Creek and County Road 32; 3.9 Dliles on Lang Gulch be- <br /> <br /> <br />tween the confluence with Fossil Creek and 1/2 mile upstream of Shields <br /> <br /> <br />Street; 1.1 miles on Smith Creek between its confluence with Lang Gulch and <br /> <br /> <br />1/2 mile upstream of Shields Street; and 2.1 miles on Burns Tributary between <br /> <br /> <br />the confluence with Fossil Creek and Taft Hill Road. The channel study areas <br /> <br /> <br />are located within the Urban Growth Area. For the purpose of developing and <br /> <br /> <br />analyzing the flow characteristics, channel study areas were divided into <br /> <br /> <br />reaches. The limits of each reach are as follows: <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />Fossil Creek - Reach 1: Confluence with Fossil Creek Reservoir to Union <br /> Pacific Railroad <br /> Reach 2: Union Pacific Railroad to confluence with Mail Creek <br /> Reach 3: Confluence with Mail Creek to Colorado & Southern <br /> Railroad (C&S) <br /> Reach 4: C&S Railroad to Shields Street <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />II <br /> <br />. <br />i <br />~ <br /> <br /> <br />FOSSIL CREEl< <br />DRAINAGE STUDY <br /> <br /> <br />FORT <br /> <br /> <br />LOVELAND <br /> <br />... <br />_ Ii & ."""IATE~ ftt. <br />... coli"", colcoAdo _ <br /> <br />....-. <br />...-..... <br /> <br />COLORADO <br /> <br />sc....... <br /> <br />o <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />Watershed Boundary <br />Droinooe Course <br />Road <br /> <br />Railroacl Traclt <br /> <br />BASIN VICINITY MAP <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />FIGURE I. <br />