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The Colorado Piedmont is a broadly rolling plain in which the floodplains of the South Platte River vary generally from 1 to 3 miles in width. The Colorado Piedmont also characteristically has bench lands that rise 20 to 200 feet above the floodplains. The western part of the Colorado Piedmont is characterized by low rounded hills and irregular land surfaces. Climate The climate of the South Platte River basin is influenced by its inland location. Relatively low precipitation, widely variable daily and seasonal air temperatures, and highly variable precipitation from year to year are characteristic of the basin (Hansen and others, 1978). The Plains zone is characterized by small amounts of precipitation (12 to 19 inches per year) (Figure 4). In contrast to the semi-arid climate of the Plains zone, greater seasonal variations of precipitation and temperature occur as a result of snowfall during the winter and spring months in the Mountain zone. The largest amount of precipitation in the Mountain zone occurs along the COntinental Divide, especially in the upper parts of the Cache 1a Poudre River, the Big Thompson River and the st. Vrain Creek sub-basins (Figures 1 and 4). The greatest amount of precipitation measured in the basin, averaging 34 inches annually, occurred at Berthoud Pass on the Continental Divide. The foothills of the Front Range correspond to the Transition zone (Figure 3), where mean annual precipitation is about 15 inches (Hansen and others, 1978). Natural Resources The South Platte River basin contains a wide variety of natural, mineral and energy resources. The interrelationship between natural resources and water resources development is a factor affecting the form and extent of mineral and energy production. -8- l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I r