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<br />to the relative close proximity of the area to the Denver metro- <br />politan area, the Big and Little Thompson River valleys are exper- <br />Iencing urbanization pressures. <br /> <br />THE STREAM AND ITS VALLEY <br />The Big Thompson River basin drains an area of about 830 <br />square miles in north central Colorado. Of these 830 square miles, <br />approximately 610 square miles are mountainous and 220 square miles <br />are plains. The basin is about 60 miles long and about 30 miles <br />wide at its most extreme points. Elevations in the basin range <br />from near 13,000 feet mean sea level (m.s.!.) near the Continental <br />Divide to near 4700 feet m.s.l. at the basin's confluence with the <br />South Platte River. Vegetation in the basin varies considerably <br />relative to the basin topography. Forested areas and grasslands <br />are typical of the mountainous region of the basin. In the plains <br />region, the vegetation is typified by agricultural crops, grass- <br />lands, and Intermittent sland" uf Ij,ub", especially adjacent to <br />streams. Climate In the basin Is semiarid varying with the topog- <br />raphy. In general, warm summers and mild to cold winters prevail. <br />Intense thunderstorms, sometimes of cloudburst intensity, can occur <br />during the summer months. The'followlng table gives climatological <br />data for the Big Thompson River basin vicinity. <br /> <br />2 <br />