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<br />- <br /> <br />0=1770 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />\\ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />SYNOPSIS <br /> <br /> <br />The Purgatoire River rises in south-central Colorado, at the <br /> <br /> <br />continental divide, some 40 miles west of the city of Trinidt1d, <br /> <br /> <br />at an elevation of 13,000 feet dropping to 6,000 feet above mean <br /> <br /> <br />S"rl level at that city. Flowing eastward from Trinidad it joins <br /> <br /> <br />the Arkansas River at the town of Las Animas, Colorado, about 105 <br /> <br /> <br />miles below. The upper reach is a typical mountain stream carry- <br /> <br /> <br />ing waters from melting snows and summer rains, while ,;it;h irriga.- <br /> <br /> <br />tion diversions und storage, mainly in the vidnity of Trinidad, <br /> <br /> <br />flOlI in the lower reach is, in tho JUoj.n, from SUl1llller storms, with <br /> <br /> <br />little if any of the snow vlater reaching the Arkansns Vnlley. <br /> <br /> <br />Irrigation Vias commenced in Ln~ Anim:ls County in 1847, gradu- <br /> <br /> <br />ally expnnding from Cc small arell to more than 20,000 acreL' in 1908. <br /> <br /> <br />Without adequate storage facilities, ditches serving these lands <br /> <br /> <br />mUiJt d:L v(3rt stream flm7 as it occurs. <br /> <br /> <br />The watershed above Trinidad is subject to frequent and in- <br /> <br /> <br />tense storms vlhich continually harass irrigators v<ith destruction <br /> <br /> <br />to canal intakes and diversion dams. Notable were those of 1904 <br /> <br /> <br />and 1925, which r(3sulted in damages of over $350,000 and $70,000, <br /> <br /> <br />respectiv(3ly, to developments in the narrow valley in and rle&r <br /> <br /> <br />Trinidad. While these tvlO flodrls have caused extreme damage lesser <br /> <br /> <br />floods, occurring at frequent intervals, repeatedly dumage irriga-- <br /> <br /> <br />tion systems c,nd public improvoments, ,mch as to show th(3 n(3ed for <br /> <br /> <br />control. Th8iJO flood flov/S px'oceed to th(3 lower r(3aCh8S generally <br /> <br /> <br />in such quantities as to me.k0 them unavailable to irrigators bdow <br /> <br /> <br />in any great amount since they comb:l.nl~ with flood flows,there. With <br /> <br />11 <br />