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. . I: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION Community Description Montezuma County is located in southwestern Colorado, The county is bordered by Dolores County on the north, south, Gunnison County on the east and the state of Utah on the west. Montrose is the County Seat of Montezuma County, The population of Montezuma County was estimated at 18,672 in 1990 and 23,163 in 1999, resulting in an average annual growth rate of 2.4 percent (Colorado Division of Local Government Demography Section), The area mapped in the FIRMs includes the entire county except incorporated the communities of Cortez, Mancos and Dolores, and the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation, Watershed Description Montezuma County is located on the western slope of the Continental Divide in both the San Juan and Dolores River basins, The northeastern portion of the county is within the Dolores River basin while the remaining portion of the county is within the San Juan River basin, The basins are generally separated in the county by the western and southern rims of Lost Canyon and the Dolores River. The streams within the San Juan River basin originate in the southwestern slopes of the San Juans in the eastern portion of the county and high plateaus in the western portions of the county, Main streams generally flow from northeast to southwest and are tributary to the San Juan River in northern New Mexico southeastern Utah, Most tributary streams are intermittent minor streams that flow primarily during snowmelt and precipitation events, while the major streams and rivers, including McElmo Creek and the Mancos River, are perennial, Elevations of the watersheds range from approximately 12,000 feet in the San Juans to approximately 4,800 feet at the Montezuma CountylUtah State line, The watersheds are primarily consists of agricultural uses or undeveloped high plateau grazing land, Agricultural uses include non-irrigated beans and wheat and irrigated alfalfa. Higher undeveloped areas consist of scrub oak., pinon, cedar and ponderosa pine, Lower undeveloped areas consist of scrub oak. and sage brush with pinon, cedar and cottonwood in drainageways. The Dolores River originates along the western slope of the San Juans in Dolores and Montezuma Counties. The river initially flows southwest into Montezuma County where it is impounded by McPhee Dam, It then flows northwest through the county into Dolores Canyon, There are several tributary streams to the Dolores River within the County, Elevations of the watershed range from over 14,200 feet at Mount Wilson in Dolores County to approximately 6600 feet on the floor of Dolores Canyon as it leaves Montezuma County, With the exception the Towns of Dolores and Rico, the watershed is primarily undeveloped forested lands consisting of aspen, lodgepole pine, spruce, grass meadows and steep rock faces, There are also remnants of mining activities in the area, which primarily occurred in the late 1800's and early 1900's, According to officials with the Dolores Water Conservancy District, McPhee Reservoir does not provide flood control storage for the Dolores River, There are several current USGS gaging stations within Montezuma County located along the major rivers and tributary streams, In addition, there are several sites that have collected data but 2