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<br />Fryingpan River flows west from the Sawatch Range to Roaring <br />Fork River at the Town of Basalt. Through the study reach, it has <br />mod.erate~~y steep, shallow, and wide channel. The channel slope <br />is approximately 50 feet per mile, whLLe ~tS del'Ll, all.} width "XC <br />approximately 2 to 3 feet and 60 feet, respectively. Ordinarily, <br />the flood plain is approximately 100 feet wide because the river <br />usually follows a narrow canyon, but the flood plain does get as <br />wide as 400 feet in some places. The vegetation along the flood <br />plain consists of cottonwood trees and grass in the lower reaches, <br />and conifer forests mixed with grass in the upper reaches. The <br />channel is generally rough with many cobbles. The principal damage <br />from flooding would be to some ranches and scattered cabins. <br /> <br />The tributaries to Fryingpan River, Taylor Creekr Downey Creek, <br />Seven Castles Creek, Otto Creek, and Frenchman Creek, are all <br />approximately 0.5 mile long. They all have steep, narrow channels <br />of approximately 2 feet in depth and a slope of approximately 120 <br />feet per mile. The flood plains are approximately from 10 to <br />50 feet wide, and there is virtually no development in the flood <br />plains. <br /> <br />The only exception to this is Taylor Creek, which has a flood plain <br />width of 40 to 100 feet and a few residential dwellings in the <br />flood plain. The vegetation on these tributaries is similar to <br />that of Fryingpan River. <br /> <br />Brush Creek flows north to northwest from the mountains of the <br />northern Sawatch Range into the Eagle River near the western end of <br />the Town of Eagle. At Eagle, it has a steep, shallow channel with <br />a slope of approximately 90 feet per mile. The width of the channel <br />is approximately 30 feet, and its depth is approximately 1 to 2 feet. <br />Its streambed is steep and narrow downstream of the Denver and Rio <br />Grande Western Railroad, with a width of approximately 70 feet; in <br />the upper reaches, it ranges in width from 200 to 400 feet. The <br />flood plain is generally covered with natural grasses, willow <br />bushes, and cottonwood trees. A trailer park and several other <br />dwellings are in the.. .flood plain in the region of study, near the <br />Town of Eagle. <br /> <br />. ~. <br /> <br />Roaring Fork River originates in the Sawatch Range at an elevation <br />above 14,000 feet, travels approximately 37 miles to the Town of <br />Basalt, and flows on the west side of the town. At the confluence <br />of Roaring Fork and Fryingpan Rivers, 53 percent of the total drain- <br />age of the Fryingpan and Roaring Fork River basins has been collected. <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />REVISEO:l/25/83 <br />