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<br />DRAFT <br /> <br />Gold Run Gulch, have their headwaters on mountain divides. The <br />Tenmile Range to the west has the highest peaks. The continental <br />Divide forms the southern and eastern boundaries of the basin. <br />Peak elevations along this portion of the basin range from 12,245 <br />to 13,684 feet above mean sea level. Tributaries to the Blue River <br />with headwaters on the mountain divides have the characteristic of <br />steep slopes and rather long and narrow valleys. OVer one half of <br />the area in the Blue River basin above Breckenridge is above <br />timberline with vegetation limited to alpine tundra. The remaining <br />land is predominantly covered by spruce, fir, pine, aspen, willows, <br />sage and grassland. <br /> <br />Above the town, all the tributary basins draining into the Blue <br />River from the Tenmile Range on the west have been glaciated, <br />whereas the tributaries draining into the Blue River from the east <br />have not. As a result of the different geologic origins, the <br />tributaries on either side of the Blue River have different <br />hydrologic properties. Sub-basins that have been glaciated have <br />soils developed on glacial material. These soils are generally <br />coarse textured and may vary from a very stony or rocky clay to a <br />very coarse textured gravel with boulders and cobble. Infiltration <br />rates and losses for this type of parent material can be high. In <br />the non-glaciated basins east of the Blue River, the soils have <br />been developed on very hard dense igneous and metamorphic rocks. <br />Infiltration rates and losses through soils or debris developed on <br />the igneous rocks may be relatively low. The valley of the Blue <br />River also has been glaciated and land located within a half mile <br />to one mile on either side of the river is covered by glacial <br />material. A significant portion of the Blue River, French Creek <br />and Swan River valley floors have been disturbed by dredge boat <br />mining and are characterized by dredge spoils. Consequently, <br />infiltration rates and losses are exceptionally high. <br /> <br />Below the town, the drainage basins on either side of the Blue <br />River differ markedly form those above the town. Geologic <br />conditions are different in that the parent materials for soils are <br />sedimentary rocks or alluvial fans. Hydrologic properties of soils <br />developed on these materials can be different than those developed <br />in parent materials located above the Town of Breckenridge. <br />Infiltration rates and losses through soils developed on <br />sedimentary rocks may be relatively low whereas infiltration rates <br />and losses through soils developed in the alluvial fans may be <br />moderate to high. However, local infiltration rates and losses 'may <br />vary considerably within each major area. <br /> <br />Drainage basins which lie within the Master Plan Area include: <br /> <br />Blue River 81.0 sq. mi. <br />Lehman Gulch 2.7 sq. mi. <br />Jones Gulch 0.7 sq. mi. <br />Sawmill Gulch 2.5 sq. mi. <br />Cucumber Creek 3.3 sq. mi. <br /> 4 <br />