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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Sacramento District Corps of Engi- neers gratefully acknowledges the coopera- tion and assistance of the IIIoffat County Planning Department-especiall,' !lIs, Judy Stehle and James E. Pankonin. County Engineer; the City of Craig; the Colorado State Department of Highways; the Craig Empire Courier; Ms. Alice Robinson. Craig Chamber of Commerce; and others who directh' or indi recth' aided in the preparation of this'report. The -State of Colorado, Moffat Counl\' and the Cit,. of Craig cooperatively funded' preparation' of the cletailed top- ogr a p hie maps need ed for th is flood hazard information study. BACKGROUND INFORMATION DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA Craig is located in northwestern-Colorado at an elevation of about 6200 feet. The region, which is part of the physiographic province known as the Wyoming Basin, is a plateau characterized by broad areas of low relief separated by scarps and cuestas. The western end of the Williams Fork Mountains. a northwesterly extending spur of the Rocky Mountain System, rises to the south of the citJ., Real settlement did not occur in northwest- ern Colorado until the nomadic Ute Indians were permanently relocated to Utah in 1881. The first settler in the Craig area arrived in that year and a townsite was laid out in 1888. For the first 20.30 years, the community was an agricultural center largely dependent upon the cattle raising industry. The town was incorporated in 1908 and became the county seat when Moffat County was created by a division of Routt County in 1911. Around 1920. sheep were introduced to the area and, following a period of conflict between sheep- men and cattlemen, were firml,' established by the 1930's when the Taylor Grazing Act made multiple use of open rangeland possible, Today, both industries contribute signifi- cantly to the economy of the region, Oil production became important to Craig when the Moffat Field was opened in 1924 and, as additional fields were brought in, a refinery (now closed and salvaged) was built. Craig was the supply center for the Rangely Field, which was far from markets and without transportation, but not intensely developed I Rocky Mountain News. p, 6, September 19. 1976, until World War II. The oil boom of the 1920's made Craig the largest community in north- west Colorado and the development of high- ways during this period put the town at the intersection of two major routes. This opened the way for transportation and tourism as new industries, Due to favorable conditions of transportation, Craig is a center of gilsonite processing' for rail or truck shipment. For many years, extraction of coal from vast beds underlying Moffat County has had great impact on growth and development in north- west Colorado. Uranium mining contributed to the economy during the 1950's. In general, Craig has experienced slow, steady. principally agriculturally based eco. nomic growth. In the last few years, however. ". . .Craig has been transformed from a quiet ranching community to a bustILng boom town, the product of energy de,,'e]opment. The boom wasn't brought on by the sleeping giant oil sbale, but b.l' coal. Several new coal mines are being opened near Craig, otbers are expanding, oil and gas activities have increased and the Colorado.Ute Ele<:tric Association is building one of the state's largest coal-fired power generation oomptexes six miles south of town. 'Yorkers have flooded the area to fill the new jobs. Man)' brought their families with them. And the influx has caus.ed secondary growth as service industries expand to meet the needs of the new residents. Tbe population of Craig is estimated to be at least 8.000. near!)' double what it was in 1970. Several planning studies predict the population will top 12.000 in a rew years...1 2 I I DRAINAGE AREA The Yampa River, a westerly flowing stream in the stud,. area. is tributary to the Colorado River via the Green River, Its headwater drainage area is bounded by the Elkhead Mountains on the north. the Park Range on the east. and by the White River Plateau on the south and west, The principal headwater tributaries of Fortification Creek rise in the Elkhead Mountains north- northeasterly of Craig, The basin is bounded bv Elkhead Creek on the east; by Slater, \\'illow, Fourmile. and Timberlake Creeks I I I I (streams that flow northerh' from Colorado into Wyoming) on the north and northwest: and by Cedar Mountain and Big Gulch (an indirect tributary to the Yampa River) on the southwest. Pine Ridge and Cedar Mountain Gulches rise northwesterly of Craig and. in general. are bounded by Cedar Mountai n on the east and by Sand Spring and Big Gulches on the west and northwest, Information on the tributary drainage areos of the streams and watercourses under study is shown in Table 2. TABLE 2 TRIBUTARY DRAINAGE AREAS Stream or Approximate Watercourse Location Drainage Area (sq. mi.) Yampa River River Mile 141 2,130\ Fortification At mouth 252 Creek Brotherton At mouth 4 Gulch Pine Ridge State Highway 13/789 10 Gulch Cedar Mountain At mouth 6 Gulch I I I I I I I I I I I Climate of the Craig area is classified as Highland Continental and is characterized by low precipitation. large daily temperature range, low humidity, frequent wind, and abundant sunshine, The prevailing direction of air movement to the regioT) is from the west. On arri....al, air masses from the west are comparathiely dry due to long travel over land and loss of mo istu re over moun tai n ranges. Howe,'er, the primar,' sources of moisture are the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Generally, air masses from the Pacific Ocean dominate from October through April while air masses from the Gulf of Mexico dominate during late spring summer. Temperature in 1 Includes Fortjfjcaticm Creek drainas;re. r I I I I I Maximum Elevation of Walershed (ft., NGVD) 12,500 10.800 7,500 7,100 7,500 summer in Craig is very mild. the record high being 1000 Temperature maximums above 95' occur infrequently, The lowest observed temperature in Craig was -450 in January 1963. Normal annual precipitation varies with elevation and ranges from about 14 inches at Craig to 80 inches (estimate) at high eleva- tions in the Park Range. Most of the annual precipitation in high elevation areas occurs as snow from December to April and, beginning in October, a deep snowpack accumulates, Snowfall in high areas may total as much as 50 feet during the winter, Snowmelt begins in late April and continues well into June or 3