| Big Dry Creek [1] | |
|---|---|
 The creek just north of West 120th Avenue. | |
| Location | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| - coordinates | 39°52′03″N105°13′49″W / 39.86750°N 105.23028°W |
| Mouth | |
- location | Confluence with the South Platte |
- coordinates | 40°04′21″N104°49′37″W / 40.07250°N 104.82694°W Coordinates: 40°04′21″N104°49′37″W / 40.07250°N 104.82694°W |
- elevation | 4,895 ft (1,492 m) |
| Basin size | 110 sq mi (280 km2) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | South Platte—Platte— Missouri—Mississippi |
Big Dry Creek is a tributary that joins the South Platte River near Fort Lupton, Colorado. It rises in Jefferson County, Colorado at the mouth of Coal Creek Canyon at an elevation of 8,000 feet (2,400 m). [2]
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean.
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West. Its drainage basin includes much of the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado; much of the populated region known as the Colorado Front Range and Eastern Plains; and a portion of southeastern Wyoming in the vicinity of the city of Cheyenne. It joins the North Platte River in western Nebraska to form the Platte, which then flows across Nebraska to the Missouri. The river serves as the principal source of water for eastern Colorado. In its valley along the foothills in Colorado, it has permitted agriculture in an area of the Colorado Piedmont and Great Plains that is otherwise arid.
The City of Fort Lupton is a Statutory City located in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 6,787 as of the 2000 census.
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The creek flows through Jefferson, Adams, and Weld counties. In Jefferson County, it flows into and out of Standley Lake. It receives treated wastewater from several municipalities, including the City and County of Broomfield, Westminster, Thornton and Northglenn.
Adams County is the fifth-most populous of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 441,603. The county seat is Brighton. The county is named for Alva Adams, Governor of the State of Colorado.
Weld County is one of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 252,825. The county seat is Greeley.
Standley Lake is a 1,200-acre (4.9 km2) reservoir located in Westminster, Colorado. While originally constructed to provide water for the agricultural irrigation of the surrounding region northwest of Denver, it now serves primarily as the municipal water supply for the cities of Westminster, Northglenn, and Thornton. The lake is also used for recreation, and is the prominent feature of the surrounding 3,000-acre (12 km2) Standley Lake Regional Park.
The Big Dry Creek Watershed Association, a non-profit organization made up of individuals and representatives from local municipalities, monitors the creek's conditions.
A second creek in the Denver Metropolitan Area shares the same name. The other Big Dry Creek rises in Douglas County and joins the South Platte River in Littleton.
Douglas County is the seventh-most populous of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 285,465. The county seat is Castle Rock.
Littleton is the Home Rule Municipality in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties that is the county seat of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city population was 41,737 at the 2010 United States Census, ranking as the 20th most populous municipality in the State of Colorado.
The Big Dry Creek Trail, a recreation trail, roughly follows the creek from Standley Lake Regional Park to Interstate 25. [3]
In the U.S. state of Colorado, Interstate 25 (I-25) follows the north–south corridor through Colorado Springs and Denver. The highway enters the state from the north near Carr and exits the state near Starkville. The highway also runs through the cities of Fort Collins, Loveland, and Pueblo. The route is concurrent with U.S. Highway 87 through the entire length of the state. I-25 replaced U.S. Highway 87 and most of U.S. Highway 85 for through traffic.
