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<br />booms included mineral extraction, especiall~ uranium and oil <br />shale. Agriculture and ranching in the outlying areas remain <br />important. About 60,000 acres of irrigated cropland in the Grand <br />Valley produce fruit and forage crops which supplement seasonal <br />livestock grazing on public domain lands in the area. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />The Colorado River begins in the Western Slope of the Rocky <br />Mountains at about elevation 12,000 feet and drains an area of <br />about l7,000 square miles to the Fruita streamflow gage, about <br />l2 miles downstream of Grand Junction. <br /> <br />The climate of the area is arid to semi-arid, with yearly <br />precipitation averaging from about 8 inches at Grand Junction to <br />about 40 inches in the headwater regions of the Colorado and <br />Gunnison Rivers. Most of the annual precipitation in the higher <br />elevations occurs as snow. Temperatures range from the 90's in <br />the summer to below freezing in winter. <br /> <br />The study reach contains primarily modest, older residential <br />housing, and a few acres of agricultural land. The 500-year <br />flood plain in the study area contains more than 200 structures. <br />The commercial and industrial areas are located in the upper <br />portions of the study reach, either partially or wholly outside <br />of the flood plain. <br /> <br />3. Scope of Studv. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />This reconnaissance report was prepared to assess the <br />Federal interest in flood control on the Colorado River at <br />Riverside and Rosevale. <br /> <br />The scope of the planning work included consideration of <br />both structural and nonstructural flood control solutions. The <br />City of Grand Junction has expressed interest in a structural <br />solution for the Riverside community which could be incorporated <br />into their planning process for a riverfront park and bicycle <br />trail system. Mesa County representatives have expressed concern <br />about the lack of a sanitary sewer system in the Rosevale area <br />and the associated threat of health and environmental problems if <br />a flood should occur. There are no plans for installation of a <br />sanitary sewer system, and the County in the past has considered <br />the possibility of purchasing (buying out) flood-prone properties <br />in Rosevale. <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />. <br />