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<br />Fl""d plain ..an"~e.."nt studies .1re olrrled out bv che SoU C.mservation
<br />5ervice as an outgrowth of the recommendations in A Report by the Task Force
<br />on Federal Flood Control Poll"y, House Dot."",,,nt No. 465 (~Qth Con~res~.
<br />Au!':ust 10, 1%6), especially Recommendation 9(c), Reg"iation of Litnd US",
<br />whlCl1recommendedcl1epreparationofl'relinlnaryrep"ttgfor;("idance in
<br />those "-reas where agdstance is needed before a f"ll flo<>d plain lnfor...aUon
<br />repott can be prepared or where II. full rel'ort lsnot SCheduled.
<br />Auth~rity for funding flo~d I'lain management studies is pro~lded by
<br />Section 6 ~f Public Law 83-56~, which authorizes the U.S. Department of
<br />Agriculture to ~ool'erate with other federal, state and local agencies to
<br />.."lte investh;ati"ns and surveys of thc wat"-r.heds and river. and other
<br />waterway. as a basis for th,,- development of cuordinated programs.
<br />In carryln~ out flood plain IMnagement studies, th,,- Soil Cun.ervation
<br />Service is b,,-ing re.ponsive tu Execu~iv,,- Order 11988, entitled "Plood Plain
<br />Management'., and ~x"cutive Order 11990, coti ~ lcd "Protection of ~'et lands'.
<br />(both effective Hay 24, 19771.
<br />
<br />DE$CRIPTION OF THE ~Tut)Y I\R.EA
<br />
<br />Drainall"-Sasin
<br />Th"-B"xeld"rCreekWat,,-rshedcoversanareaof251squ"re..il,,-.in
<br />parts of Lari~r and Weld Cuunties, Colorado and Alhany and Larimer
<br />Counties,Wy<>minil'. Thew..teUhedisabout32mlle.inlen!,:thandaverages
<br />abol1t Bmil,,-s in width. IloxelderCreekisjoinedbySandCre..It,Rawhid..
<br />Cr"-ek,CoalCre,,-k. and IndianCreeltbefore it flow. into theCachela
<br />poudre Riv"r about 3 miles southeast of Fort Collins.
<br />The study area lies "ithin the Coloradu piedmont section of th,,- Gr"-at
<br />Plain.phyaiographicl'rovince. El,,-vattono range from 7,720 feet at th,,-
<br />upper end of th,,- basin to ~ ,000 feet II.t the low"-r study limit. The basin
<br />physiography consists of broadly rolling plateaus with hogback ridge" and
<br />narrow me.as int,,-rsp,,-rs,,-d with narrow valleys and clI.nyons.
<br />Cl1mat"-
<br />The climate is conald,,-red semi-arid with normal .nnual precipitation
<br />total in!! ahout 14 inches. Ab"ut 9 inches of ~he normal IInnu"l precipi tation
<br />occurs during Mav through ~epte"'b"-r.
<br />Pr,,-cipitati<>nisusllallygencrated from cold fronts from th" Nort h"",st
<br />ags"ciat~d with ",chtul'e p..,sh~d ie.to the gre" fro",. the Culf of Mo,x!r.o "y )",..
<br />prcssure systems. Local thunder storms produce some addition~l summer
<br />precipitation.
<br />Tempersture data from Fort Collins "how. . _an annual ~""'p"rat..,n of
<br />48 degree.. Theaverill:C frost-fr,,-e seas<>nis 144 days from Hay 8 to
<br />Sept"rnh"r2Q.
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