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<br />,'. . <br /> <br />J~. ~ <br /> <br />t <br />Lost Canyon Creek has its headwaters in the La Plata mountains and <br /> <br />travels in a westerly direction to the Dolores IUver downstream of the <br /> <br />town of Dolores approximately one quarter m:lle ,. The creek flows from <br /> <br />elevatIon 10,000 to 7,000 feet. at an average slope of 110 ft/mile. The <br /> <br />terrain is undulating with timber at elevations above 9,000 ft. and sage <br /> <br />brush, Pinon Pine and juniper in the majority of the basin. The basin :ts <br /> <br />characl:er:lstically desert foothills. <br /> <br />FLOOD IIISTORY <br />.---------- <br /> <br />The majority of the major flooding on the Dolores River above Dolores, <br /> <br />Colorado results from rapid melting of the basinsnm'l'ack durin:;; the <br /> <br />period of April to July. These flood hydrographs are characterized by <br /> <br />m()derate peaks, large volumes, and long durati.Clll of flows. Rainfall on <br /> <br />the snol-lpack followed by a rapid warmins; trend ha" given the largest <br /> <br />snowmel,t hydrograph peak flows. <br /> <br />The major rainfloods generally occor in the:cater summer 01~ fall <br /> <br />,,(,asons and are caused by large general rains tonm," There are local <br /> <br />I:t.understorms that occur also, but these rains generally produce localized <br /> <br />flooding in the larger basins and the m~jor flood,,: in the sma.ller basins <br /> <br />along the desert foothills. The major tloods on [.)st Canyon Creek are <br /> <br />"aused by the cloudburst type storms. <br /> <br />A tabulation of the largest peak flows record'ld to date at the gagE'S <br /> <br />on the :Dolores River and Lost Canyon are presented on Tabl,~ 1. <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />/ <br /> <br />2 <br />