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<br />Problems <br /> <br />Rather than leave numerous channels across the irrigated land, from long <br />experience farmers have l,eveled and are farming these areas, spreading <br />floodflows over a,wider area with shallower depths. Crop rotations aid <br />,by having alfalfa 'as an erosion-resistant crop.' <br /> <br />Flooding also occurs to the town of Ovid and,t'he farmsteads, roads"and <br />railroad in the.lower flatter'portion of the floodplain in 'Nebraska and <br />Colorado. <br /> <br />Approximately' 6,785 acres in the'following land uses are subJect to <br />flooding from the 100-year frequency sto'rm event:' <br /> <br />1. Nonirrigated cropland in wheat~fal1ow rotation abbve,the irri- <br />gated 1<ind consist's o'fabout 93 acres' io Colorado,' and' about <br />500 acres io Nebrask'ainnineownerships. '" <br /> <br />". . .:' . <br />,2. Irri'gated cropland with 'maJor crops of 'alf;;l1fa, sugar beets, <br />beans,' and corn COhS fst of, about4;2bO acres, in ,CoJoradoalid <br />200 acres, in Nebraska, in 53 ownerships. Theupp,er"po,r'tions of <br />this ,land between the Highfine Ganaland ,the Settlers Ditch <br />and avera'ges a 1.6 percent slope'. The portion below the <br />Settlers and the Petersen Ditches Js on about a 0.5 ~ercent <br />slope to the South Platte River. ' <br /> <br />3. Row crops in particular are severely damaged or lost from <br />noo,ririg-'- 'lW"ilbout 900acres'oT-t1;e i rrCga-ted rand subJect <br />to more frequent flooding, 650 acres are kept in protective <br />soil-cover crops to reduce damage from erosion. The remaining <br />250 acres are left as idle land. These acres can, with pro- <br />tection, be farmed intensively with higher income-producing <br />row crops in the rotation. <br /> <br />4. Minor flood dama'ge occur's 'to 770 acres of nat.ive pasture <br />and sa 1 tgrass meadow in, the lower part of the, watershed.' <br />,However,the qua l,i ty and' quant i ty of forage produced is <br />reduced somewhat-by. 'sediment. <br /> <br />'5; 'About 154 acres ofmiscellaneous uses are subJect to flood <br />damage. Topping of roads, highways and the railroad by <br />,floodwaters has 'interrupted service occasionally for short <br />periods of time due to high water, erosion of road surfaces <br />and shoulders, or undermining of road surfaces and bridge <br />approaches. Photograph ,6 'shows undermining of pavement and <br />erosion of roadsubgrade by overflow which occurred in 1968. <br />Any interruption of service is detrimental to the agricultural <br />'and commercial activities of the' service area ,and to the state <br />and national businesses dependent on these facilities. <br /> <br />20 <br />