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<br />PURGATOIRE (PICKET WIRE) RIVER, COLO.
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<br />road tracks and yards, residences, city parks, and business and
<br />industrial establishments. There are also several highway, railroad,
<br />and city streot bridges, streets, sewers, water and gas mains, wire
<br />lines, and other i~provements of an urban nature within the over, flow
<br />area. Building n the flood plain has been curtailed for several
<br />years. The rcsi cnces erected in recent years to accommodate the
<br />mcreaso in popu ation, as well as other buildings, have been con,
<br />structod well above the overflow limits. Although it is expected
<br />that the normal growth of Trinidad will continue, it is believed that
<br />the availability of land free from flood menace will limit, future de,
<br />velopmcnt within the flood plain. Thc overflow areas are well
<br />served by highways and railroads at present. The design of any
<br />future transportation facilities will probably take into account the
<br />flood history of the stream and make increased construction allow-
<br />ances for the safetv of the structures.
<br />40. Extent and character oj flooded area-Agricultural and improve-
<br />ments.-The flood plain of Purgatoire River between mile 163.3 and
<br />Alfalfa, excluding 'l'rinidad, consists of a narrow strip of agricultural
<br />land. This area contains about 4,630 acres, of which 1,050 acres are
<br />cultivated by irrigation and dry farming methods. Pasture an
<br />grazing lands comprise 1,130 acres, and the remainder of the flood
<br />plain is river area and waste land. Farm units vary from small
<br />garden plots to portions of large ranches, Practically all tillable sec'
<br />tions of the flood plain which can be rcached by gravity canals are,
<br />under irrigation. Because of the low annual rainfall and the small
<br />amount of subsurface wat,er available, water for irrigation is in de,
<br />mand and the entire normal flow of Purga,toire River haH been allotted
<br />by court decree, 'I'here is usually insufficient water in the river to
<br />supply decreed rights. Seven low concrete dams and several brush
<br />and rock dams for the diversion of irriga.tion wa.ter ha.ve been con-
<br />structod in that portion of the, river which flows through the areas
<br />under consideration. None of these da.ms provides any storage, the
<br />structurcs serving merely to raise the water to the elevation of the
<br />irrigation canal headgates. At the present time, severa.l diversion
<br />structures are not in operation because of damages sustained during
<br />the flood of April 1942, and reconstruction plans are as yet in the
<br />preliminary stages. 'rhe irrigation ditches with decreed rights draw,
<br />mg water from that part of Purgatoire River in the area under con-
<br />sideration; prior to April 1942, with the priorities and amounts of
<br />water decreed to each, the length of ditch, and the acreage under each
<br />ditch, most of which is not in the flood plaiu, are,shown in table No.3,
<br />appendix 0,1 The use of both power farm machinery and horse,
<br />drawn equipmcnt is common, although hand labor is used in the cuI,
<br />tivation of some of the crops. The area overflowed and pertinent
<br />dat,a thcrcto are shown in table No.7.
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<br />T ADLE No.7-Area overflowed (acres)
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<br />Location
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<br />CultIvated land
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<br />Pasture and grazing rT(!~I~U~S
<br />land land
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<br />Total
<br />waste
<br />land
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<br />Urban ~~~~~w
<br />lands area
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<br />Mile 162.3 to rnlle122.__ Irrigntcd____I,040 Irrigated______4.00
<br />Dry......... 10 Nonlrrigated._730
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<br />2,180
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<br />2,450
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<br />370
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<br />5,OO(),
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<br />1,050
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<br />1,130
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<br />. 1 N?t prInted..
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