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<br />Colorado Water Conservation Board
<br />823 State CentennIal Building
<br />1313 Sher....n Street
<br />Denver, CO 80<03
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<br />the Sheep Drawh<>.in, the mean ann""l precipitation is about 12 Inches.
<br />Temper~turc9 range from a ~an of about 24. F in January to a mean of
<br />about 73' F in J~ly. The _jor Goll tYp<'1I In the !Msln arc of the
<br />Olney-Kim-Otero or the Weld-Colby Soil associatLons. Theae are gene-
<br />rally ~derately sloplng medium to moderately-conrse textured soils.
<br />Vegetation is predominantly grassland or IrrIgated cropland, with few
<br />tree..
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<br />Flood Plain Analysis
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<br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION
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<br />The Sheep Draw basin is croused by U.S. Righway 34, alternate Busi-
<br />ness Route U.S. Highway 34, and Colorado Ilighway 257. County roads are
<br />Io~ted on moat sectiOn lines. The !Mstn at present ia essentially
<br />rural. However, arbanization ia beginning at a few locations on the
<br />eastern edge of the basin.
<br />
<br />Sheep Draw, U right-bank tributary of the Cache la PoudreRiver,
<br />1s located west of Greeley in Weld County. It begtns about 8 miles
<br />west of Greeley and flows northeustwa 1 to its confluence with the
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<br />The baaln topography ia characterized by rolling hIlls and narrow
<br />~tre.:l" 'r"lle~'~, ~levnle"~ 1" the bae!n ~.:lnge fr.,,,, ,,"o\tt 5050 f.,.,t to
<br />46~0 feet above me.:!n aea level. Sheep Draw ~lope~ shout 20 to 50 r"et
<br />pet mile In the studyreaeh. Thechannelgenerallyrangesfro",aboutl
<br />to 10 feet {n depth ",>d 30 to 150 feet lnt<>p...ldth. Figur"" I through
<br />12 on the following pages are photographs IIhleh illustrate channel
<br />conditions In the st\1rly <c:lch. Al i sCeM" <lre loc<~t"d alon!!; Sheep
<br />
<br />The reach atudied e~tenda from the Sheep Draw confluence 1/1th the
<br />Caehe la Poudre Rivet upatream to near Colorado 1I1ghway 257, a distance
<br />of about 7 miles. Develop...nt on the flood plainw{th!n this rcach Is
<br />relatively sparae. The most COmmon form of dove1opment Is that a8.:1oc1-
<br />ated w1th farmsteads and an agricultural area. At prese:lt, the more
<br />congested develop~nt associated ...Ith urban areas haa not resched into
<br />the Sheep Draw flood pl"ln. ~owevcr, auch development 18 quite clos"
<br />1n80;neare..".
<br />
<br />Cache I. poudre River just northwest (< Creeley. ,"0 basin ,. about ,
<br />",ilea ,. width and about , mOe. long. ,", Sheep Ora... draim'II" area b
<br />about 15.0 "quate ..Ues. , -. "' ", badn 1. sho"", ". plate ,.
<br />
<br />Dr..".
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<br />Thccl1",atelss"..iarld.Illllelle,,,I,wa,,,,s,,,,,,,,,,rsalldIlllI<lto
<br />coldw{ntersprevall. IntcnsethurlJcrstorms, sO""'ttm,,"ofClollJburst
<br />intensity, can occur ~urlng the sum~pr months. At Greeley, adjacellt to
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