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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />CHAPTER II <br />SETTING <br /> <br />The McElmo Creek drainage is located In Montezuma County in south- <br /> <br />western Colorado and covers approximately 720 square miles (460,000 <br /> <br />acres). About 150 square miles (96,000 acres) of the basin are agricul- <br /> <br />tural land, of which approximately 48 square miles (31,000 acres) are <br /> <br />irrigated and the remainder dryland farmed. Most of the irrigated <br /> <br />agricultural land is in Montezuma Valley in the eastern portion of the <br /> <br />drainage around Cortez (see General Map). Mud Creek, Alkali Creek, and <br /> <br />Hartman Draw are major tributaries of McElmo Creek. The MonteTuma Valley <br /> <br />area includes Cortez, a major commercial center and the county seat, and <br /> <br />the small farming communities of Lewis, Arriola, and Lebanon. <br /> <br />Social and Economic <br /> <br />Agriculture and its related service industries are the chief <br /> <br />economic endeavors in the project area. Agricultural development centers <br /> <br />around livestock production and cropland that is used for the production <br /> <br />of livestock feed. <br /> <br />Tourism contributes significantly to the economy. Mesa Verde <br /> <br />National Park is near the pro)ect area, and many other attractions <br /> <br />are within a 100-mile radius of Cortez such as Durango-Silverton area <br /> <br />with its famous narrow-g-aug-e railroad, and other National Monuments and <br /> <br />Parks, including Hovenweep, Canyon de Chelly, Aztec Ruins, Natural <br /> <br />Bridges, Arches, and Canyonlands. <br /> <br />The population of Cortez in 1960 was 6,762, it decli41{;ln4t1.g <br /> <br />1970 to 6,032, and rose to 7,095 in 1980. In the rural areas around the <br /> <br />5 <br />