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From the San Juan Mountains, the Animas River flows southerly through steep, narrow canyons into the nearly I-mile wide Animas Valley, which extends for approximately 15 miles to Durango. Elevations in the Animas River drainage basin vary from more than 14,000 feet along the western slopes of the San Juan Mountains to approximately 6500 feet at Durango, ~he Animas Valley north of Durango is wide, gently sloping, and shallow. The drainage area of the Animas River at the northeast corporate limits of Durango is 649 square miles. , The Lightner and Junction Creek watersheds, which are tributaries of the Animas River at Durango, cover approximately 66 and 39 square miles, respectively. Lightner and Junction Creeks rise in the La Plata Mountains to the northwest of Durango at elevations greater than 12,000 feet. The watersheds consist of high, mountainous terrain with steep to moderately steep slopes, within the study areas, both Lightner and Junction Creeks have wel~-defined channels and sufficient channel capacities to pass minor floopflow without significant property damage. . The drainage basin of Dry Gulch Creek, which covers approximately 4 square miles, is situated between the lower portions of the basins of Lightner and Junction Creeks. The; headwater elevation is in excess of 8000 feet and it joins Junction Creek approximately 0.5 mile upstream from the Animas River. Los Pinos River flows through typical; glaciated mountains from the I Needle Mountains at approximately 14,;000 feet. Vallecito Creek joins Los Pinos River at Vallecito Reservoi'r at an elevation of 7665 feet. In general, slopes on Vallecito Creek are steep upstream from the reservoir. Stream gradients of 100 to 300 feet per mile are common, The drainage area above Vallecito Dam is approximately 270 square miles. Downstream from the Vallecito Reservoir, the Los Pinos River watershed consists of high mountainous terrain with steep to moderately steep slopes. The drainage area of the Los Pinos River is 349 square miles at Bayfield. Vallecito Creek and Grimes Creek are :located upstream from the Vallecito Reservoir in a wide valley.' All of these watersheds empty into the Vallecito Reservoir, The drainage areas for these creeks are 90 and 5 square miles, respecti~ely. The study area of the Animas River aqd Hermosa Creek in the vicinity of Hermosa extends along the Animas ~iver from near the end of the river's canyon reach upstream to neari the southern boundary of the San Juan National Forest, and along the lower 2.8 miles of Hermosa Creek. Hermosa Creek joins the Anim~s River from the west in the Animas Valley, southeasterly of Hermosa. The Animas Valley is on the southern slopes of the San Juan Mountains in the southwest corner of Colcrado. The Hermosa area is on the western side of the valley, approximately 10 miles north ,of Durango. 4