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Page 5 <br /> GEOGRAPHY <br /> TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE <br /> The study area for this report consists of those portions of <br /> Prowers, Baca and Las Animas Counties the surface drainage of which is <br /> toward streams other than the Arkansas River within the boundaries of <br /> Colorado. The area is triangular in shape, covering most of Baca County <br /> but only a small part of southeastern Prowers and Las Animas Counties <br /> as shown on Figure 1 . It encompasses approximately 3, 000 square miles. <br /> The principal city is Springfield, county seat of Baca County. Other <br /> smaller towns include Walsh, Pritchett, Campo, Two Buttes, Vilas and <br /> Kim. There are several additional small, unincorporated villages scattered <br /> through the area. <br /> Topography consists primarily of relatively flat plains to the <br /> east, rising more than 3, 000 feet to the mesas in the west which are the <br /> tops of severely eroded canyons. The plains are most prominent north- <br /> east and southeast of Vilas. The slope is slightly steeper to Pritchett and <br /> then flattens, rising steeply again near the Las Animas County line. The <br /> deep canyons in Las Animas County and the western part of Baca County <br /> are the most striking features of the area. They serve to separate most <br /> of the study area from the geological formations farther west. <br /> In the plains there are numerous intermittent streams, active <br /> only after significant rainfall. Many of these streams in the plains and <br /> those in the canyons to the west are tributary to the Cimarron River which <br /> passes through the study area only in the southeastern corner of Baca <br /> County. In general, these streams usually flow first into New Mexico or <br /> Kansas to meet the river. Bear Creek and its tributaries drain much of <br /> the northeastern part of the study area. This stream flows into Kansas <br /> where it dissipates before reaching a major river. <br /> The canyons to the west are quite steep. Many of the walls, <br /> formed by erosion, are nearly vertical. The flood plains below are usually <br /> narrow. These canyons are adjacent to flat-topped mesas capped with hard <br /> sandstone or basalt. <br /> Available topographic information consists of U. S. Geological <br /> Survey maps with a scale of 1: 125, 000 and contour intervals of 25 feet <br /> based on a survey made in 1890 and Army Map Service maps with a scale <br />