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<br />Economic activities of the area primarily include ranching and <br />fanning. Principal crops of the area are wheat, al fal fa, corn, and <br />other row crops. <br /> <br />Tourist and recreation sites in the area incl ude: the old Santa <br />Fe trail north of Lamar; John Martin Reservoir, 18 miles to the west; <br />the Great Plains Reservoir System, 12 miles to the north and the Two <br />Buttes a rea, 30 mil es to the south. <br /> <br />The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad runs <br />carri es freight and Amtrak pa ssenger tra ins. <br />area include U.S. Highways 50 and 287. <br /> <br />through the area and <br />Ma in hi ghways in the <br /> <br />The industrial areas are located in the northern and southern sec- <br />tions of Lamar. Commercial areas are located along a single main <br />street and in shopping areas east and south of town. The residential <br />areas of Lamar extend outward from Main Street and south of town <br />along Willow Creek. Housing in the area is a combination of older <br />and new houses whi ch were buil t in the 1 ast ten years. The fl ood <br />plains of all the flooding sources considered in the study are essen- <br />tially fully developed. <br /> <br />Climate of the area is generally warm and dry, with 13 inches of <br />precipitation per year and sUllll1er temperatures in the 90's. Winters <br />in the Lamar area are usually mil d wi th an average temperature of <br />270F. <br /> <br />Principal geographical characteristics include a wide river vaney <br />with rolling grasslands. Vegetation includes cottonwoods along the <br />Arkansas River with crops and grassland outside the valley. <br /> <br />There is a fairly extensive water system in the Lamar area including <br />Dry Creek, Clay Creek, and Willow Creek, the latter flows through <br />Lamar. Ditches and canals in the vicinity include: Fort Bent Canal, <br />Lamar Canal, Hyde Canal, Vista Del Rio Ditch, and Amity Canal. <br />Reservoirs in the area include the Great Plains Reservoir System, <br />John Martin Reservoir, and Two Buttes Reservoir. <br /> <br />2.3 Principal Flood Problems <br /> <br />Headwaters of the Arkansas River originate in the San Isabel Moun- <br />tains near Leadville, Colorado. Effects of heavy snow melt or heavy <br />rains occurring in the upper portion of the drainage basin are re- <br />duced by the John Martin Reservoir. Flooding in Lamar is dependent <br />on localized heavy rainfall below the John Martin Dam. <br /> <br />The most severe flood in recent history occurI'd in June 1965. Tor- <br />rential rains in eastern Colorado, western Kansas, and New Mexico, <br /> <br />4 <br />