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<br />DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA <br /> <br />Basin Characteristics <br /> <br />Plateau Creek has its headwaters in the Grand Mesa National <br />Forest, approximately 18 miles southeast of Collbr'an. The <br />stream flows northwesterly from its origin near Chalk <br />Mountain Into Vega Reservoir, appro)(imately 11 miles <br />upstream from Collbran. Plateau CrElek then continues <br />westerly from Vega Reservoir through Collbran to its <br />confluence with the Colorado Riv"r approximately 19 mi les <br />downstream from Collbran. The area drained by Plateau Creek <br />at the downstream corporate I imi,ts of Collbr'an is <br />approximately 316 square miles. ThE> drainage basin of <br />Plateau Creek drops from an elevation of 11,000 feet at its <br />headwaters to 6,000 feet at Co II bran" <br /> <br />Grove Creek has its head~aters in the Grand Mesa National <br />Forest approximat'lly 10 mi les southElast of Collbran. The <br />stream flows northwesterly from Its origin near the Sheep <br />Flats through Collbran to Its confluence wilh Pla'teau Creek <br />just west of the downstream corporale I imi ts of Co II bran. <br />Grove Creek has a drainage area of approximately 21.6 square <br />miles at its conf"uence with Plateau Creek. The drainage <br />basin drops in elevation from 10,400 feet at its headwaters <br />to 5,950 feet at its mouth. <br /> <br />Buzzard Creek has its headwaters in the Grand Mesa Nati onal <br />Forest approximatE>ly 21 miles southeast of Collbran. <br />Buzzard Creek has a drainage area of approximately 180 <br />square miles at 11;S confluence with Plateau Creek. The <br />drainage basin drops from an elevation of 10,000 feet at its <br />headwaters to 5,90;0 feet at Its confluence with Plateau <br />Creek inCollbran" <br /> <br />The topography of the study area consists of gentle to <br />moderately slopin,j valleys and mesas, highly dissE>cted by <br />drainageways with steeply sloping sides. <br /> <br />Soils in the PlatE,au Creek basin ar'e characterized by three <br />general zones. Zone one, which incllJdes the upper' areas of <br />the Battlement Mesa and the Grand Mesa, consists of two <br />general major soi I groups, the Gray Wooded and Brown <br />Podzo Ii c Zona I grelat so i I groups. The so i I s are rap i d I y <br />permeable to very rapidly permeable. Winter snowfall Is <br />heavy in th i s area, but runoff is sl 'ow because of the <br />pervious soi I and good to excellent !Jround cover conditions. <br />The dominant vegetative cover consists of pine, spruce, <br />alpine fir, and aspen trees. Zone two, which includes the <br />lower areas of the Battlement Mesa and the Grand Mesa, <br />consists of two general major soi I groups, the Mountain <br />Chernozem and Chestnut Zonal great so i I groups. <br /> <br />3 <br />