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~ , .. ". . .."..~. '-.. .,1 i"';"c~"/, . . . .~;i?~~~~:.:" :.,~, ',:.:. ,":) ,..--.~) N -.J o "l\:) WATERSHED IN BRIEF , , , , The Amity Mutual IrrigatiDn CDmpany project area is located in sDuth- eastern CDlorado, It is in ,the nDrthwest corner of Porwers County and .the nDrtheast CDrner of Bent County. The area lies within the Prowers County Soil ConservatiDn District. The drainage area is apprDximately 90,580 acres (141.53 square miles). The town 'of Lamar is located across the Arkansas River southeast from the project area. Lamar is the County Seat Df Prowers CDunty and the trade center of the county. Lamar had a population of 7,797, in 1970, and is located on U. S. Highway 50 (the early Santa Fe Trail RDute), 287,385, and CD1DradD 169 and 196. The prDject area is about 10 mi 1 es long and averages 12 mil es in I width. It consists Df three drainages (Wiley, Pleasant Valley, and May I Valley) varying in elevation from 3,650 feet at Lamar tD 4,200 feet 'at the 'headwaters. The project area has a semi-arid climate characterized by long, hot summers and mild, open winters. The mean annual precipitatiDn is abDut 14 to 15 inches, with abDut 70 to BO percent falling during April through September. Much of the precipitation occurs as high intensity rains frDm summer thunderstorms. ApprDximately 50,720 acres (56%) of the prDject area is in irrigated cropland, 4,530 acres (5%) of dry land, and the remaining 35,330 acres (39%) is in'fair condition rangeland. All of the land is priva~ely Dwned. There are about 245 farms under the Amity Mutual Irrigation Company with alfalfa, milo, wheat, corn for silage and grain, serving as the main agricultural land use. Ih the dry land area the principal crDp is wheat. The cropping pattern will remain the same with the project. The soils in the area have silted topsoils and deep loam to cliiY loam subsoils. RDCky FDrd and Numa clay loarns occupy mDst of the area. WATERSHED PROBLEMS AND NEEDS. Flood Prevention v . The irrigated crDpland is dependent primarily upDn water diverted from the Arkansas River. The major problems considered in this report pertains, to theflDDd hazard of two drainages (Wiley and Pleasant Valley) that are intercepted by the lowest (Amity) of three canals. The third drainage (May Valley) has some existing floDd water facilities in operation and as a result,does not contribute substanti<illy to flood damages. The flood histDry of the Amity Canal reflects damages occurring approximately every other year. hDwever, occasionally flood damages are experienced several