Laserfiche WebLink
<br />d. Transportation facilities. <br /> <br />(1) Highways. Three interstate highways, seven U. S. highways, <br />and thirty-six State highw~s traverse the South Platte River basin. <br />Traffic densities on the interstate routes range from 12,000' to 50,600 <br />vehicles daily. <br /> <br />Ii <br /> <br />(2) Railroads. The basin is served by six railroads. The <br />Union Pacific; Chicago, Burlington and Quincy; Chicago; Rock Island <br />and Pacific Railroads traverse the basin along east-west routes. The <br />Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe; Denver, Rio Grande and Western; and the <br />Colorado and Southern Railroads cross the basin along north-south <br />routes. All of the railroad routes converge on Denver; Colorado. <br /> <br />e. TOurism. Colorado's high mountains and incomparable scenic <br />beauties, vast forests, numerous fishing' and boating waters, and <br />winter sport areas make the state a year-around vacation land for <br />millions of visitors annually. In 1964 mOre than'6 million visitors <br />spent an estimated $505 million in the State of Colorado. The number <br />of visitors of all vacation categories increased about 30 percent from <br />1960 to 1964 and their spending increased about 29 percent. Tourism <br />is ranked fourth of five major industries considered to be basic or <br />growth-producing in Colorado's economy. <br /> <br />12 . CLIMATE <br /> <br />The climate of the basin varies with its physiographic features <br />of mountains, foothills, and plains., Generallt, the mountain regions <br />have the most rigorous climate and the greatest annual precipitation - <br />except for the areas surrounded by high mountains. The mountain region <br />precipitation - near the Continental Divide - exceeds 50 inches <br />annually. The foothills region has a climate more moderate than either <br />the mountain or plains regions. Precipitation in the foothills region <br />averages between 15 and 20 inches annually. The climate of the plains <br />region is characterized by cold winters, hot summers, light rainfall, <br />low humidity and considerable wind. The average annual precipitation <br />in the plains region is about 15 inches, with variations of from 12, <br />to 19 inches. The most pronounced climatic characteristic of the <br />basin is the periodic storm activity which historically has produced <br />high' intensity rainfall, with rainfall depths within a few hOUrs <br />frequently equivalent to a major portion of the average annual <br />rainfall. <br /> <br />13. 'FLOOD CHARACTERISTICS <br /> <br />The flood characteristics of the basin also vary with the <br />physiographic features of the regions. In the mountain regions, <br />floods result from rapid 'snowmelt or sudden intense rainfall. The <br />rainstorm floods are characterized by rapid concentrations of runoff <br />which result in sudden rises in stream stages, and produce the high <br /> <br />7 <br />