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<br />WATER AND RELATED lAND RESOURCE PROBLEMS <br /> <br />Damage from floodwater, erosion and sediment runoff is the major problem <br />in the watershed. Primary causes for these damages are the high Inten- <br />sity, short duration summer thunderstorms which occur principally over <br />relatively small areas east of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. <br /> <br />A considerable portion of the damage is related to the fact that the <br />Highline Canal receives all of the floodwater and sediment originating <br />a'bove it. This results in sediment deposition in the canal system and <br />overtopping of the canal with frequent breaching which, in turn, has <br />caused flooding, erosion and deposition of sediment on the irrigated <br />lands below the canal. <br /> <br />land Treatment <br /> <br />There are no areas of critical erosion in the watershed. Minor annual <br />erosion is occurring from sheet and rill erosion on the nonirrigated <br />croplands. Erosion rate is low on the rangeland. Plant cover varies <br />from 65 to 80 percent. There are no noticeable changes in the plant <br />communities. Erosion occurs on cropland from flood flows principally' <br />when land is in the row crop rotation. <br /> <br />The soils are mainly deep or moderately deep loams or sandy loams with <br />high or moderately high fertility resulting in good soil-water relation- <br />ship. <br /> <br />land use adjustments have taken place on the nonirrigated cropland <br />through the Soil Bank and the Great Plalns,programs. Minor adjustments <br />need to be made on the irrigated land. ' <br /> <br />Flooding from upper stream channels frequently overtopped the canal <br />banks and caused erosion and sediment deposition on cropland below. <br />This resulted in farmers taking 900 acres out of the irrigated crop <br />rotation and leaving in a soil protective cover to reduce damages. This <br />land needs to be returned to the cropping system to enable a more effi- <br />cient use of committed factors of production. ' <br /> <br />Net returns to the farm and ranching units are comparatively high. This <br />is reflected in the number of landowners and operators cooperating with <br />the districts and the amount of land treatment applied and being applied <br />throughout the watershed. <br /> <br />Some farms would benefit from windbreak, pond, or wildlife plantings. <br />Properly planned and placed, plantings would add materially to the value <br />of these farms and ranches. Some windbreaks are in need of renovation. <br /> <br />18 <br />