WSP05425

• File Number: 8101
• Description: Arkansas River Basin Description
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 9/1/1962
• Author: High Plains SCD
• Title: Watershed Work Plan - Limon Watershed Protection Project - Elbert and Lincoln Counties - Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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DESCRIPTION OF THE \vATERSHED

Physical Data

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Location.- Limon Watershed is located in Elbert and Lincoln
Counties in east-central Colorado, It includes lands in the drainage
basin or an unnamed intermittent stream that drains southeastward
through the Town of Limon, Colorado, The watershed contains 15,42
square miles (9,870 acres), of which 8,19 square miles are in Elbert
County and 7,23 square miles are in Lincoln County. The area is
9 miles long and has a maximum width of 3 miles. It lies along the
north side of Big Jandy Creek and is tributary to that stream, Big
Sandy Creek joins the Arkansas River about 127 miles southeast of
Limon,

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The watershed area contains three tributary drainages, whi~h are
referred to in this work plan as the West, Middle, and East drainages.
The West drainage occupies over one-half of the total watershed area.
The Middle and East drainages are smaller, with each having less than
one-fourth of the total watershed area.

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The watershed heads northwest of Limon and the three tributary
streams drain southeastward and join near the center of the town,
The main stream thus formed drains southeast for about one mile to
the lower end of the watershed area where it joins a larger drainage,
Lake Creek, lying to the east of the watershed, Lake Creek enters
Gig Sandy Creek about one mile downstream from the watershed boundary,
Through the Town of Limon, the tributary streams and the main stream
occupy channels that are in some places natural and in other places
ILlan-maue.

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Physiography and Geolooy,- The watershed lies within the Colorado
Piedmont section of the Great Plains physiographic province. Elevations
range rrom a maximum of about 5,300 feet at the north end of the
watershed to about 5,320 feet at the lower end.

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The upper one-third of the West drainage is underlain by sandstone
and sandy shales of the lower part of the Fox Hills formation, The
remainder of the watershed is underlain by dark gray to olive brovm
silty clay shales and sandy shales of the upper part of the Pierre
forraation, Deposits of alluvial, colluvial, and eolian sandy silt
and clay of Pleistocene and Recent age, cover the Pierre shale in
many places, particularly in the lower watershed area, where there
are very few exposures of shale,

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