PROJ00527

• Contract/PO #: FS0024X
• Contractor Name: Florida Water Conservancy District
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 0
• County: La Plata
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

Lemon Dam and Reservoir are located on the Florida River,
about 14 miles northeast of Durango, Colorado, La Plata County, in
the San Juan Basin of the Upper Colorado River Basin (Figure 1.1).
The reservoir is 620 acres in area with a normal maximum water
surface elevation of 8148 feet. The Florida River, which is the
source of water for the reservoir, originates high in the San Juan
Mountains near the Continental Divide and continues southward to
its junction with the Animas River, which later joins the San Juan
River (a major tributary of the Colorado River) in Farmington, New
Mexico.

The Florida River flows in steep, narrow valleys until almost

out of the mountains with some farms and residences located along

its banks. The reservoir lies within the San Juan National Forest

and has a campground, a day use area, and some private residences

within the immediate vicinity, as well as a gravel road which is

maintained by La Plata County.

The reservoir
conifers and aspen.
wilderness.

is surrounded by high mountains covered with
In general, the area can be considered rural/

The mean annual temperature in the area of the reservoir is
46 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with recorded temperatures varying from
101 to -38 degrees F, fluctuating between the arid characteristics
of the desert and the alpine climate of the high mountains to the
north. The prevailing winds are southwesterly and the annual
precipitation is approximately 25 inches.

5.1 GEOLOGY
According to page 4 of the Draft Management Plan (DMP), Lemon
Reservoir, Florida Proiect, Colorado, 1985 prepared by Reclama-
tion, the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) and the District, Lemon Dam

5.0-1