The study area is located in the vicinity of Pueblo, Colorado, and
extends about 32 miles from the Arkansas River at Portland site to
the Arkansas River near Avondale site.
River elevations along this reach range from 5,021 to 4,509 feet.
The area is characterized by a semiarid climate with a mean annual
precipitation of about 12 inches (Pielke
and others, 2002). Mean annual humidity is relatively low at
about 36 percent. The range in daily temperature averages about 18
degrees Celsius. Streamflow in the Arkansas River exhibits considerable
seasonal variability with the majority of the total annual streamflow
resulting from snowmelt runoff in the Rocky Mountains west of the
study area. Streamflow between 1986 and 2001 averaged 732 cubic feet
per second at the site Arkansas River above Pueblo and 999 cubic
feet per second at the site Arkansas River near Avondale (U.S.
Geological Survey, 1987-2002). The average streamflow at the
site Fountain Creek at Pueblo was 166 cubic feet per second during
1986-2001 (U.S. Geological Survey, 1987-2002).
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Water Resources of Colorado
Contact: webmaster_co@usgs.gov
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Last Modified:
May 4, 2004