FLOOD01813

• County: Montrose
• Community: Montrose County and Unincorporated Areas
• Title: FIS - Montrose County and Unincorporated Areas - Vol 1
• Date: 7/17/1986
• Prepared For: Montrose County
• Prepared By: FEMA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Current FEMA Regulatory Floodplain Information

Montrose County and the surrounding area. This reservation was
dissolved by an 1880 treaty that relocated the Ute Indians to a
new reservation in northeastern Utah. On September 1, 1881, the
old Ute Indian reservation was opened for resettlement.

Agriculture, mining, and energy production (coal, natural gas, and
oil) comprise the major economic base for Montrose County. The
estimated county population in 1980 was 24,352, an increase of 33
percent over the 1970 census population of 18,366 (Reference 1).
This rate of increase is expected to continue,

The San Miguel River has its headwaters in the Uncompahgre National
Forest, and flows from its origin near the City of Telluride in a
northwesterly direction through the Town of Naturita to its conflu-
ence with the Dolores River approximately 20 miles downstream of
Naturita.

The Uncompahgre River rises high on the northern slopes of the San
Juan Mountains, a subrange of the Rocky Mountains, It flows on a
north-northwesterly course from its origin to its mouth at the
Gunnison River, which is a direct tributary to the Colorado River,
Elevations in the drainage basin range from approximately 13,000
feet in headwater areas to approximately 4,900 feet at the mouth
of the river near Delta, The stream drains approximately 565 square
miles at the City of Montrose. Its tributary drainage is bounded
on the west by the basins of the Dolores and San Miguel Rivers, on
the south by the basins of the Animas, Las Pinos, and Rio Grande
Rivers, and on the east and north by the basins of the Cimarron
and Gunnison Rivers.

Happy Canyon Creek has its headwaters in the Uncompahgre National
Forest. The upper reaches of this stream lie approximately 15
miles south of Montrose, Colorado, at an elevation of 9,000 feet.
Happy Canyon Creek flows in a northerly direction from its origin
to its meeting with the Uncompahgre River, which is at an elevation
of 5,700 feet.

The headwaters of Cedar Creek originate in the Cimarron Ridge area
at an elevation of approximately 9,400 feet, The creek flows in a
generally westerly direction, through the northeastern portion of
the City of Montrose to the Uncompahgre River. the downstream limit
of this study (approximately 3 miles northwest of Montrose). The
drainage area at the mouth is approximately 56 square miles.

The upper reaches of Montrose Arroyo lie approximately 7 miles
east of Montrose at an elevation of approximately 7,500 feet. The
stream flows in a northwesterly direction through the City of
Montrose to its confluence with Cedar Creek, immediately northwest
of the city, The stream drainage area at the mouth is approximately
17,8 square miles.

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