FLOOD01637 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

2.2 Community Description The Town of Buena Vista is located in south central Colorado in thp central portion of Chaffee County approximately 90 miles west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The total land area contained within the corporate boundaries is 3.0 square miles. The 1980 U.S. Census re- ported the population of Buena Vista as 2,064 (Reference 2). Economic activities of the area include cattle ranching and tourism. A1 so located in the area are the Buena Vista Correctional Facil ity and the molybdenum mine in Climax. A major ski area, Monarch Pass is south- west of Buena Vista. The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad main 1 ine passes through the town on its route along the Arkansas River. Traffic on thi s 1 ine is 1 imited to freight and coal, stops are not normally made at Buena Vista. Buena Vista is an older town with a minimum of recent construction. Commercial development is concentrated along a single main street U.S. Highway 24 with residential areas spreading beyond. The flood plains of all the flood sources considered in this study are essentially fully developed at present with single family housing the predominant type. Therefore, increased encroachment is not anticipated in the future although the character of development may change with time. The climate of the study area includes low precipitation, low humid- ity, abundant sunshi ne, a wi de da i1 y tempera ture range, and generally low winds. The surrounding mountains act as a barrier preventing the northern cold air or eastern storms from penetrating the Upper Arkansas River Valley. The upstream drainage area of Cottonwood Creek originates in the Sawa tch Range of the Rocky Mounta i ns at the top of the Conti nenta1 Divide between the Arkansas and Gunnison River Basins. Elevations vary from more than 13,000 feet along the divide to 7,900 feet at the lower end of the study area. Geology in the upper reaches consists of metamorphic rock (crystall ine), mostly grani te and other igneous type rocks. Soil s are deep to moderately deep wi th rock outcrops; and the permeability characteristics are moderate to moderately rapid. Ground cover consists of native grass, brush, and forestland. Cottonwood, pinon-juniper, and pine trees grow at the lower elevations. Topo- graphy has a significant effect on the semi-arid c1 imate. Average annual precipitation varies from about 11 inches at Buena Vista to over 30 inches in the higher mountain elevations where most of the precipitation occurs as snow. Melting of the snowpack causes runoff during the spring and sustained flow in Cottonwood Creek. In Buena Vista, normal mean temperatures range from 25.6 degrees (Fahrenheit) in January to 64.3 degrees in July. The mean annual temperature is 44.0 degrees. More than 85 percent of the total drainage area is 4