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Horse Creek and Dry Creek, originate in the foothills of the frontal range northwest of Pueblo and flow southeasterly joining near the Wild Horse subdivision, located approximately 2 miles northwest of Pueblo. Below this junction point, the combined Wild Horse-Dry Creek stream channel passes under the U.S. Highway 50 bridge and, flowing in a more southerly direction, receives discharges from Williams Creek approximately 0.6 mile downstream from the bridge. The stream enters Pueblo's northwest residential area and proceeds through the commercial and railroad development complex to discharge into the Arkansas River. The average slope in the watershed is approximately 60 feet per mile. Streambed elevations vary from approximately 4,670 feet at the mouth to 4,844 feet near the con- fluence of the two streams. The scrub vegetation growing in the higher elevations is typical of southern Colorado's foothill regions, where fairly rough, broken terrain usually prevails. At lower elevations, the creeks traverse semiarid high plains covered with sparse vegetation that is pre- dominantly sagebrush, cactus, and native grass. Native deciduous trees such as clumps of cottonwood and salt cedar, and thick under- brush, fringe the watercourses. Wide variations in climate occur in the Arkansas River basin. In the mountainous regions, precipitation varies considerably over relatively short distances, from 10 inches annually in some locations to 40 inches annually in others. Much of the precipitation at the higher elevations is in the form of snow. Occasional violent cloud- bursts cause flash floods of short duration and small volume, but of damaging intensity. More than 80 percent of the average annual precipitation on the plains occurs from April through October. The maximum rainfall months are May, June, and July. Thunderstorm activity is greatest in July, with thunderstorms occurring on an average of 14 days at Pueblo. The Pueblo Weather Bureau at the airport has had a maximum monthly snowfall of 29.3 inches and a maximum daily snowfall of 16.8 inches. Temperatures in the region vary widely, ranging from 10soF at Pueblo to s40F at higher elevations. Pueblo has mean annual maximum and minimum temperatures of 680F and 370F, respectively. 2.3 Principal Flood Problems Historical accounts of flooding include reference to several major floods in the Arkansas River Basin in Colorado. Information on past floods in Pueblo, as available in newspaper files and other historical documents, is almost exclusively concerned with flooding on the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek. Major flooding in Pueblo probably included simultaneous flooding on smaller streams as well. References to the smaller streams in the area appear only rarely 7