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001001 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I III. FLUVIAL MORPHOLOGY AND SEDIMENT TRANSPORT A. I1Ydrology 1. Basin Description Cherry Creek is a right-bank plains tributary of the South Platte River, entering the river in a highly developed business and industrial area of Denver. The Cherry Creek basin is about 54 miles long and averages 10 miles in width. The total drainage area to the downstream study limit is approximately 336 square mil es. The creek fl ows north-northwest from the upper end of the basin located about 10 miles northeast of Colorado Springs, to its confluence with the South Platte River. Upstream of Franktown, the Cherry Creek basin has steeply to mOderately roll ing topography with ponderosa pine growing on the higher ridges. The Cherry Creek valley is, in general, "v" shaped. In the reach from near Franktown to near Parker. Cherry Creek courses through a broader valley bordered by steep to rolling ridges and hills. Downstream from Parker, the uplands become less rough and the basin lies in a rolling plains area. The basin slopes northward from elevations of about 7700 feet above mean sea level at the source of Cherry Creek to about 5600 feet at the upstream end of Cherry Creek Lake state recreation area. From Franktown to the Cherry Creek Reservoir, the stream channel averages 200 feet in width and ranges from 2 to 10 feet in depth. The bed has an aver- age slope of 25 feet per mile. The channel is alluvial, flat bottomed, and follows a meandering course. From the headwaters to Cherry Creek Lake, the basin area is approximately 74 percent open space (park, vacant and agricultural areas), 23 percent resi- dential and 3 percent commercial and industrial (USGS, 1983). -g-