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II-6 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I E. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE AREA 1. General Location. The Norwood community is located in southwest Colorado in the north-central part of San Miguel County, and the south-central part of Montrose County (Figure II-A). It is within the San Miguel River drainage basin. It is situated along Highway 145 about 35 miles west Of Telluride, Colorado, and 20 miles east of Naturitaf The closest trade center is Montrose, located approximately 90 miles northeast. ' 2. Topography and Geology. The topography and geology of the Norwood area is influenced by its location on the borderline between two major physiogeographic provinces: the Colorado plateau on the west and t~e southern Rocky Mountains to the east. Predominateiland forms in the Colorado plateau are high mesas diyided by deep canyons and alluvial valleys. The so~thern Rocky Mountains rise abruptly from the Colorad9 plateau to elevations of over 14,000 feet. The Norwood area is situated on a high, gently sloping mesa between the San Miguel Mountain range to the south and southeast and the deep V-shaped valley of the San Miguel ~iver to the north. The Mesa is underlain primarilY by Dakota sandstone, sedimentary strata consisiing of sandstone, shales and mudstones, with a relatively thin layer of outwash material from the surrounding mountain areas. All of the streams in the Wrights Mesa area flows southward off the San Mig~el range, to the San Miguel River; in some areas deep valleys and canyons have been cut. Gently ro~ling mesas are located between the streams. Theigeneral land slope of the service area is from southeast to northwest. 3. Service Area. Area Served. The service 'area forms a block around Norwood, with an extensio~ (Wrights Mesa) along Highway 145 to the northw~st (Fig. II-B). It also includes the unincorporat~d communities of Redvale and Coventry, located about 10 miles to the west along Highway 145.