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<br />Purpose and Scope <br /> <br />In 1968, the U. S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Divi- <br />sion of Highways and the Federal Highway Administration, began a study to <br />monitor runoff from small rural watersheds resulting from intense thunderstorm <br />activity in the plains and plateau regions of Colorado. and to provide improved <br />techniques of estimating their flood characteristics. The data-collection phase of <br />this study was limited to natural-flow streams that have drainage areas between <br />0.5 and 30 mi2, and that do not experience significant snowmelt flood discharges <br />(generally below about 8, OOO-ft altitude). Using these criteria, sites were select- <br />ed in the plains region of eastern and extreme plateau regions of western Colorado <br />as shown in figure 1. <br /> <br />This report summarizes the data collection and preliminary data analysis for <br />the plains region of the Arkansas River basin in Colorado, shown as the shaded <br />area in figure 1. Future reports will address the flood characteristics of similar <br />areas in Colorado, such as in the South Platte River basin and the plateau region <br />of western Colorado. A companion study on the flood characteristics in foothill <br />regions, generally from about 8,000 to 9,000 ft in the Arkansas River basin, is <br />currently being conducted on streams that experience mixed-population (rainfall <br />and snowmelt) floods (R. D. Jarrett, U.S. Geological Survey, oral commun., <br />1980) . <br /> <br />Acknowledgments <br /> <br />Installation of the rainfall-runoff stations in eastern and extreme western <br />Colorado was facilitated by the cooperation of municipal and county governments, <br />the Colorado Division of Highways, and numerous private individuals. The author <br />particularly wishes to thank Mr. Del Roupp of the Colorado Division of Highways <br />for assistance and support in the planning and execution of the study. <br /> <br />DATA COLLECTION <br /> <br />The collection of rainfall and runoff data on small rural watersheds in the <br />plains region of the Arkansas River basin in Colorado began with the instrumenta- <br />tion of four sites in June 1969. By April 1970 the total network of 17 stations <br />was in operation (fig. 1 and table 1). The total drainage areas of the sites <br />varied from 2.34 to 17.0 mi2 and averaged 6.88 mi 2. All stations were operated <br />seasonally, generally April through September. <br /> <br />2 <br />