<br />Colorado Water Conservation Board
<br />~2J State C~ntennlal Bulldln~
<br />1313 Shertll8.n Street
<br />Denver, CO 80203
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<br />the Sheop Dra~ baaln, the ~ean snm'al pr~cipltstion Is about 12 inches.
<br />Telllperaturesrangefro,""",,,anofabout24.FinJanuarytoaOleanof
<br />about 73. F in July. The major 9011 types In the basin ,He of th~
<br />Olney-Kim-Ot"roor the Weld-Colby 5011 assoclnt:lons. Theaearegene_
<br />rally moderately sloplng...,d:lultlto<ooderately-co"rse terturedso:lls.
<br />Vegetation is predominantly grasaland or irrigated cropland, ~Ith fe~
<br />trees.
<br />
<br />Flood Plain Analysis
<br />
<br />STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION
<br />
<br />The Sheep Draw basin is crosaed by U.S. Highway 34, alternate Busl-
<br />ness Route U.S. High~ay 34, and COlorado Highway 257. County roads are
<br />located On most aectlon linea. The baain at present Is essentially
<br />rural. However, urbani2stion ia beginning at a few locations on the
<br />eastern edge of the basin.
<br />
<br />She~p Draw, a rIght-bank tributary of the Cache 1a poudre River,
<br />is located west of Greeley In Weld Cuunty. It begins about a mIles
<br />west of Greeley and flows t\orthe"st~" I to its confluente wUh the
<br />Gache la Pou.;re River just northwest o' Greeley. Tt>e hasin 18 about 2
<br />,.!les hi wtdth and "bout g RlUes long. 1h.. Sheep Draw drajnage ilr"a is
<br />about 15.0 square ~tles. A ~p of the basin is shown on plate 2.
<br />
<br />The basin topography h characterized by roll1nghllh and narr,,,",
<br />~trea," .;;;lleys. E~e',.ltlons 1::. n,,, b.,a~n ra"&,, fro", allout SOSQ fe"t to
<br />4690 feet above mean aea level. Sh"ep Draw slopes about 20 to SO feet
<br />per mlle in the study resch. The Channel generally ranges fro~ about 1
<br />to 10 feet in depth and 30 to 150 feet In top ~ldth. Figures 1 through
<br />12 on the following pvgcs ar.. photogrspha ,,111eh Uluatrate channel
<br />eondHions In the study re.,ch. All sccneS are locnted along Sheep
<br />
<br />Tbe reach studied extends fro", the Sheep Draw conf1u~nc" with the
<br />Cache la Poudre River upstre"", to near Colorado Highway 257, " dIstance
<br />of "bout 7 milea. Development On tht! floodplainwith1n this reach ill
<br />relstively sparse. The most com~on form of Jevelop~nt is tbst associ-
<br />ated ~ith farmsteads and an agTlcultural area. At present, the more
<br />congeateddevclop"",nta"soClatedw1thurbanareashasnotte.achedinto
<br />the Sheep Draw flood plaIn. However, sueb development is quIte closo
<br />Ins"""""rcas.
<br />
<br />Draw.
<br />
<br />The eli"'"te 15 se:Jllarld. In general, "arm SU1JKll('rs and llIild to
<br />cold winters prevs 11. Intense thunder~torms, "omet illes of cloudburst
<br />{nten<Jty, tan ottur dl1rlng the "",."",,'r "",nth". A~ Greeley, .~,ijar~nt to
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