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~ . " Dallas Creek Project, Colorado (BR) -2- and recommendations presented herein are subject to change upon a re-examination of project impacts measured against this forthcoming baseline information. 'Any changes in evaluations or recommendations occasioned by this re-examination will be provided to the Bureau of Reclamation by additional planning aid memoranda. The Dallas Creek'Project is a participating project of the Colorado River Storage Project authorized by the amendment contained in the Colorado River Basin Project Act of September 30, 1968 (82 Stat. 885). This project was exempted from cost-sharing requirements for fish and wildlife enhancements by this Act. Project evaluations are based upon a 100-year project life. Description of the Area The project would be located in the Uncompahgre Valley of Ouray, Montrose, and Delta Counties, Colorado (Congressional District #4). , This valley is in west-central Colorado and encompasses the north slope drainage of the San Juan Mountains., The San Juan Mountains form the southern edge of the project area. They reach elevations of 14,000 feet and are composed mostly of tertiary volcanic rocks shaped into rugged peaks and deep canyons. The pine-fir-spruce-aspen community dominates the vegetative cover of this area. The headwaters of the Uncompahgre River are in these mountains. Red Mountain Creek and Canyon Creek are important tributaries entering the Uncompahgre River in the mountain area. The Uncompahgre Plateau, west of the Uncompahgre Valley, isa broad anticlinal uplift extending north-westward from near the San Juan mountains past the confluence of the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers. It generally forms the western boundary of the project area. Log Hill ~esa is a part of this plateau. The Uncompahgre River flows north for about 70 miles from its source in the San Juan Mountains and joins the Gunnison River near Delta. Topographically, the valley bottom south of Ridgway is slightly rolling and from Ridgway to about 1.5 miles north is mantled with glacial debris. The valley is widened in this area by Dallas Creek flowing into the river from the southwest and by the intermittent Dry Creek flowing from the east. Both fine and coarse textured soils are found in the Ridgway area. The Dallas Creek and Dry Creek valleys have fine textured soils. The soils adjacent to the Uncompahgre River are generally coarse.