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<br />PART II <br /> <br />GENERAL DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />':.:; <br /> <br />PIrffiICAL FEATrJRES OF THE AREA <br /> <br />""' <br /> <br />The Trinidad Project is within the Purgatoire River Basin, <br />Its entire water supply is obtained from the Purgatoire River which <br />originates at the western border of Las Animas County, Colorado, on <br />the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Near the <br />river's source the mountains rise to elevations of 13000 feet. <br />From this mountainous area the river flows in an easterly direction <br />and drops rapidly for about 40 miles through rough and rocky terrain. <br />Near the city of Trinidad where the elevation is about 6000 feet, the <br />river emerges into a high plains area through which it flows in a <br />wide shallow valley for about 35 miles. The river then enters a <br />narrow, rugged canyon which is about 100 miles long and flanked by <br />high plains. This canyon gradually widens and merges with the <br />extensive flat lands of the Arkansas Valley surrounding the city <br />of Las Animas, Colorado, EXhibit 1, a general map of the basin, <br />shows the location of the Purgatoire River and its direction of flow. <br /> <br />._'" <br /> <br />",-. <br /> <br />CLIMATE <br /> <br /> <br />The climate of the Purgatoire River Basin is largely semiarid. <br />Records from the weather station at Hoehne, Colorado, (CM Airport) <br />which is within the project service area show weather conditions as <br />follows: <br /> <br /> Lowest Highest <br />Item recorded recorded Average <br /> --- <br />Temperature, degrees F. -26 99 48,3 <br />Frost-free period, days * 118 189 156.6 <br />Annual precipitation, in, ** 9.33 22.24 13,94. <br /> <br />.''--,' <br /> <br />"- '. <br /> <br />* For the period 1937-1962, exclusive of year 194.2 for <br />which no record is available. <br /> <br />** For the period 1925-1957 <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />'- ,~. <br />