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<br />Fountain Creek originates approximately 5 miles northwest of Green Mountain Falls in Teller
<br />County. From its headwaters, Fountain Creek flows southeasterly for approximately 18
<br />miles, often exceeding a gradient of 150 feet per mile, to join Monument Creek. The
<br />headwaters are fed from glacial snow packs and springs of the alpine canyons of Pikes Peak.
<br />Glacial deposits remain in many of the valleys above the 9,500-foot elevation. The aspen-,
<br />spruce-, and pine-covered narrow canyons are straight, steep-walled, and well drained. The
<br />bedrock creek channel, strewn with boulders, averages 50 feet in width above the foothills.
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<br />The foothills are a narrow transition from the mountains to the high plains. The transitional
<br />area varies from rough parallel ridges to narrow, gently sloping mesas with pine, pinion,
<br />cedar, and oak cover. The stream emerges on the high plains in Colorado Springs. South
<br />of Colorado Springs, the watershed west of the creek is in the foothills, while the eastern
<br />watershed is primarily high plains. This area to the EI Paso-Pueblo County line averages a
<br />gradient of 26 feet per mile. The rolling high plains terrain is rough, broken, and sparsely
<br />vegetated. The sparse vegetation is typical of the semiarid high plains -- predominantly
<br />brush, cactus, and native grasses. The floodplain is comprised of narrow-strip irrigated
<br />farms, clumps of cottonwood trees, salt cedar, and other thick undergrowth. The
<br />approximate drainage area above the confluence with the Arkansas River is 917 square miles.
<br />For reporting purposes, the stream segment above the northern corporate boundary of
<br />Manitou Springs was labeled Upper Fountain Creek.
<br />
<br />Jimmy Camp Creek originates in the high plains approximately 7 miles northeast of Colorado
<br />Springs. The watershed is approximately 17 miles long and averages approximately 4 miles
<br />wide. Jimmy Camp Creek main tributaries are: Corral, Franceville, and Jimmy Camp West
<br />and East Tributaries, which are typically sandy, flat, and wide. Above its confluence with
<br />Fountain Creek, just south of the City of Fountain, the drainage basin is approximately 66
<br />square miles. The topography of the area is characterized by rolling hilis and ridges which
<br />are generally steeper in the upper reaches of the watershed. A fourth stream, Mines
<br />Subtributary, has its confluence at Corrai Tributary.
<br />
<br />Kettle Creek, a left-bank tributary to Monument Creek, has its headwaters on the western
<br />slope of the Black Forest, northeast of Colorado Springs. A 2-mile segment of the lower
<br />reach is within the U.S. Air Force Academy boundaries. Typically, the creek cuts a narrow,
<br />deep canyon. It has a drainage area of approximately 17 square miles, and is subject to urban
<br />development throughout much of the basin.
<br />
<br />Mesa Basin is located in western Colorado Springs. It is bounded on the north by Garden of
<br />the Gods Road, on the west by Mesa Road, on the south by Unitah Street, and on the east by
<br />Monument Creek. The main channel in this basin drains the western portion of the basin.
<br />[t flows southeasterly through the basin, passes under Interstate Highway 25 between
<br />Caramillo and Buena Ventura Streets, and joins Monument Creek.
<br />
<br />Monument Creek originates in northwestern El Paso County, west of the community of
<br />Palmer Lake, and flows 35.7 miles to join Fountain Creek in southwestern Coiorado Springs.
<br />Monument Creek has a drainage area of approximately 238 square miles. From its source,
<br />this perennial stream flows easteriy for approximately 8 miles, descending from a 9,350-foot
<br />elevation through precipitous canyons and transitional foothills to emerge near Palmer Lake
<br />at the 7, lOO-foot elevation. It then turns south and parallels the mountains for the remaining
<br />distance to its confluence with Fountain Creek. Fountain Creek is generally entrenched, with
<br />an average slope of approximately 30 feet per mile. Within the City of Colorado Springs,
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