Wetland Profile for the Middle South Platte-Cherry Creek Subbasin

  • The wetland profile below describes general geography of the Middle South Platte-Cherry Creek Subbasin, the extent of wetland mapping, and the acreage of various wetland classes mapped by National Wetland Inventory.
  • To view this area in the Colorado Wetlands Inventory Mapping Tool, Click Here

  • River Basin Geography

  • Total Area: 1,840,909 acres (7,450 square kilometers)
  • Elevation Range
    • Max: 2,478 meters
    • Min: 1,308 meters
    • Average: 1,617 meters
  • Ecoregions
    • 21: Southern Rockies: < 1%
      • 21c: Crystalline Mid-Elevation Forests: < 1%
    • 25: High Plains: 83%
      • 25b: Rolling Sand Plains: 23%
      • 25c: Moderate Relief Plains: 11%
      • 25d: Flat to Rolling Plains: 47%
      • 25l: Front Range Fans: 1%
    • 26: Southwestern Tablelands: 17%
      • 26i: Pine-Oak Woodlands: 6%
      • 26j: Foothill Grasslands: 11%
  • Land Ownership
    • Total Federal Land: 1%
      • Bureau of Land Management: < 1%
      • Federal Land, Misc: < 1%
      • Fish and Wildlife Service: 1%
      • Total U.S. Forest Service Lands None
    • Total State Lands 6%
      • Colorado Division of Wildlife: < 1%
      • Colorado State Land Board: 6%
      • Colorado State Parks: < 1%
    • City, County, and Other Local Government Lands: 2%
    • Land Trusts and Non-Governmental Organizations: < 1%
    • Tribal Lands: None
    • Private Lands: 90%

  • Wetland Extent and Classification

  • Extent of basin mapped by wetland/riparian mapping projects
    • Digital NWI Mapping: 100% of unit
    • CPW Riparian Mapping: 61% of unit
    • Potential Fen Mapping: None of unit
  • Total area of NWI mapped wetlands: 63,530 acres
  • Percentage of basin mapped as NWI wetland: 3%
  • Wetland area by NWI System and Class
    • Palustrine Emergent: 18,223 acres
    • Palustrine Scrub-Shrub: 2,032 acres
    • Palustrine Forested: 9,903 acres
    • Palustrine Aquatic Bed: 1,163 acres
    • Palustrine Unconsolodated Shore/Bottom: 3,959 acres
    • All Lacustrine: 18,047 acres
    • All Riverine: 9,665 acres
  • Extent of wetland acres with NWI special modifiers
    • Percent excavated: 3%
    • Percent dammed: 9%
    • Percent ditched/drained: < 1%
    • Percent farmed: < 1%
    • Percent modified by beaver: None
  • Wetland landscape integrity
    • Percent of unit in No Discernable Stress: < 1%
    • Percent of basin in Low Stress: 12%
    • Percent of basin in Moderate Stress: 17%
    • Percent of basin in High Stress: 19%
    • Percent of basin in Severe Stress: 52%
  • Disclaimer: Basin, subbasin, and county wetland profiles are calculated for the area mapped by National Wetland Inventory (NWI). All percentages and acreage estimates are only for the area mapped. If the entire area of interest is mapped by NWI, these estimates reflect the entire area of interest. If only a portion is mapped, these estimates do not reflect the entire area. For more information about NWI’s Cowardin classification system, click here. For information about NWI mapping standards, click here.