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The Monument Creek watershed, approximately twenty miles wide and twenty-three miles long, drains 238 square miles. West of the creek's main stem, the rough and broken mountain terrain consists of vegetation ranging from mixed coniferous trees to hardy shrubs and typical mountain grasses. Residential development is increasing in outlying areas from the Kettle Creek confluence downstream to the vicinity of Fillmore street. Lower valley areas with indiscriminate encroachment in actual floodplain lands add to the flood risk and may be of great concern. Monument Valley Park occupies a considerable portion of the floodplain of the central city. Communities located along Monument Creek are Palmer Lake, Monument and Colorado Springs. Included in this reach are Cottonwood Creek, Douglas Creek, Dry Creek basin, Kettle Creek, Mesa basin, pine Creek, Rockrimmon basin, Templeton Gap Floodway, West Monument Creek tributary, Crystal Creek, Dirt Woman Creek, Carpenter Creek, and Hay Creek, all within EI Paso County. Nine of the tributary streams impacting Monument Creek are discussed below. Cottonwood Creek. Although the Cottonwood Creek headwaters are in the conifer covered Black Forest, most of the basin is semi- arid high plains. The 18.71 square mile drainage area consists mostly of rolling hills covered with sparse grasses and sage brush. It flows southwesterly through residential areas of northern Colorado Springs, passes under the AtChison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and joins Monument Creek. Douqlas Creek. North and south Douglas Creeks and adjacent to northwestern Colorado Springs, southeasterly for approximately eight miles to Creek near the Templeton Gap Floodway outlet. North and south Douglas Creeks are channelized lined drainage ditches. drain an area in The stream flows join Monument Lower portions of into concrete- Dry Creek Basin. North Channel Dry Creek, North Fork Dry Creek, south Valley Dry Creek and Big Valley drain the Dry Creek basin. The basin is bounded on the west by the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, on the north and south by ridges and on the east by Monument Creek. The western portion of the basin is heavily forested, mountainous terrain, drained by three major tributaries of Dry Creek. These tributaries flow through steep, well defined ravines which come to a confluence west of the sisters of Mount Saint Francis Convent. Through the central portion of the basin, Dry Creek is poorly defined and flows through broad, gently sloping meadows. The eastern portion of the basin is fully developed, and Dry Creek flows through well defined and eroded 10