WSP08430

• File Number: 8200.760
• Description: Yampa River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Water Division: 6
• Date: 1/1/3000
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Executive Summary - Task 4 Technical Memorandum on Hydrology Water Rights and Development of Basin Model - Yampa River Basin Alternatives Feasibility Study - Draft
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Table 4-1
Growth in Future Basin Depletions
Values in AFlyr

Environmental
Baseline*

Task 2
year 2015

Task 2
year 2040

Total

1,526
760
14.245
o
16,531

3,798
500
2,420
o
6,718

13,728
500
24.076
o
38,304

Municipal
Agricultural
Thermal-electric
Evaporation

>Ie evaporat,ion and irrigation depletions associated with now-existing rescr.
voirs has been subtracted

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Based on this comparison. it is evident that the future growth in basi~ depletions assumed in
the Envlronmental Baseline falls about mid-way between the near-term and long-term depletions
projected in Task 2,

HYDROLOGY OF THE YAMPA RIVER BASIN

General Hydrologic Setting

The headwaters of the Yampa River originate on the eastern edge of the White River Plateau in
north central Colorado. The river is fed by numerous small tributaries that drain adjoining areas of the
plateau and the western slopes of the Sierra Madre,' Park and Gore Ranges. In its upper reaches, the
Yampa River is characterized as a high gradient mountain stream flowing through tortuous and narrow
canyons. After emerging from the foothills near Steamboat Springs, the Yampa River traverses through
open country and flows west past the towns of !-Iayden and Craig,

Downstream of Craig, the river then flows through the narrow canyons formed by two isolated
mountains, Juniper and Cross Mountains, which rise abruptly from the Axial basin. Confluence with the
Little Snake RIver, the largest tributary to the Yampa River, is just upstream of Dinosaur National
Monument and the Uinta Mountains. Within Dinosaur National Monun:tent, the Yampa River once again
flows at a high gradient through the deeply incised Bear Canyon. Flow is in a southwesterly direction to
the confluence with the Green River at Echo Park,

The Yampa River is the largest tributary to the Green River with its basin covering approximately
9,530 square miles, This includes 6,719 square miles in northwestern Colorado and 2,811 square miles
in south central Wyoming, This a~ea represents approximately 6 percent and 3 percent of the total areas
of the states of Colorado and Wyoming, respectively. The Colorado portion contains most of Moffat and
Routt counties and small parts of Rio Blanco, Garfield and Grand counties, The Yampa River basin is
128 miles long from west to east and averages 75 miles in width. A location map of the basin is
presented in Figure 4-],