2004-04-27_REVISION - M2000053 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

{ -4- Gravel Breaks 1164 5. Soils The soils on this site are excessively drained, deep, very gravelly sandy looms, gravelly sandy looms and very gravelly loans. These soils are formed on terraces in gravelly sandy alluvium. Permeability is rapid, and available water capacity is low. These soils are mildly to moderately alkaline. Erosion hazard is slight to moderate. These soils are used as a source of gravel. Soil Unit Percent Cascajo - very gravelly sandy loam 5-25 Ildefanso - very gravelly loam 4-25 Schamber - gravelly sandy loam 5-25 B. MAJOR USES AND INTERPRETATIONS FOR 1. Grazing This site provides summer, fall and winter forage for cattle, sheep, horses, antelope, and small mammals. The dominate grasses of sideoats, little bluestem and blue grama make excellent forage. yany of these sites are used for wintering livestock. being adjacent to river bottoms that provide protection these slopes generally stay open enough through the winter to provide foraging areas for all livestock and wildlife. Steep slopes may cause a grazing distribution problem. Vegetation palatability will influence proper use considerations. The season, kind of grazing animal, past grazing use, and associated plant species will directly influence the variation in animal preference for forage under various climatic conditions. 2. Wildlife This site has high value as wildlife habitat, deer, antelope, rabbits and upland game birds make extensive use of these areas in the winter. 3. Hydrological Interpretations The Cascajo and Schamber soils are grouped into "A" hydrologic group while Ildefonso is in "B" group, as outlined in the "Soils of Colorado Loss Factors and Erodibility Hydrologic Groupings 1979" handbook. Field investigations are needed to determine hydrological ~ cover conditions and hydrologic curve numbers. The hydrologic curve number for Group A soil is about 39, for Group B soils about 61 when hydrologic conditions are good, as shown in "Peak Flows in Colorado" handbook. Refer to SCS National Engineering Handbook, Section 4, to determine runoff quantities from the curves.