Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Consumptiv~ Uses and Losses <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />a <br /> <br />Remaining Areas In <br />Arlzona-Nevada-Utah <br /> <br />w <br />-- <br />~ <br />~ <br /> <br />D~velopment away from the Colorado <br />River main s.tem is limited by the <br />availability df water and the rugged <br />terrain. <br /> <br />Most of the irrigated lands in this area <br />ate located in the lower reach of the <br />Virgin River ;and Las Vegas Valley in <br />Nevada, on ~ab Creek in Arizona and <br />Utah, and the lower portions of the Gila <br />and Bill Williams Rivers in Arizona. <br />Reporting pefjod irrigated land averaged <br />approximately 160,000 acres. <br /> <br />North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Henderson, <br />and Boulder City in Nevada, and <br />Kingman and Williams in Arizona, are <br />the leading cities. <br /> <br />Both the remaining areas in Arizona- <br />Nevada-Utah: and the main stem below <br />Lee Ferry, AJ:izona-CaliforniacNevada <br />are combined into one subbasin, <br />subbasin 6 on the frontispiece map, but <br />reported separately. <br /> <br />Little Colo~ado River, <br />Arizona-New Mexico <br /> <br />The Little Colorado River drainage area <br />occupies a large part of northern <br />Arizona and ~ portion of west-central <br />New Mexico., It originates on the north <br />slopes of the White Mountains about <br />20 miles above Springerville, Arizona <br />The river has a main stem length of <br />about 356 m~es and joins the Colorado <br />River on the east boundary of Grand <br />Canyon National Park about 78 miles <br />downstream (rom Glen Canyon Dam. <br /> <br />A series of saline springs near the ' <br />mouth of the Little Colorado River~' <br />produces an estimated 160,000 acr6i-feet <br />of water annually. The U.S. Geoloiical <br />Survey (USGS) gauging station near <br />Cameron, Arizona, is located on the <br />Navajo Indian Reservation about <br />45 miles upstream from the mouth. <br />Streamflow is undependable and erratic <br />and is subject to flash floods of <br />considerable magnitude, Flow at the <br />gauging station during the 1981-85 <br />period varied from 41,150 acre-feet in <br />1981 to 323,300 acre-feet in 1983. Only <br />minor development of the ground water <br />has occurred because of low yields and <br />poor quality. Excessive erosion and <br />sediment deposition plague the area. <br /> <br />Agriculture is concentrated along the <br />main stem of the Little Colorado River <br />in the upper reaches of the river, dh <br />Silver Creek, a southern tributary~and <br />on the Zuni River in New Mexico. ., <br />Current irrigated lands in the basin are <br />estimated to average approximately <br />32,500 acres. Irrigated acreage in the <br />basin is subject to variation because of <br />frequent water shortages and inade- <br />quate storage facilities. Population is <br />predominately rural with a relatively <br />large Indian segment, Principal cities <br />include Flagstaff, Winslow, and <br />Holbrook in Arizona, and Gallup, Zuni, <br />and Pueblo in New Mexico. Leading <br />industries include tourism, recreation, <br />manufacturing, mining, and forest <br />management. <br /> <br />" <br /> <br />Virgin River, <br />Arizona-Utah <br /> <br />The Virgin River originates in western <br />Kane County, Utah. It flows south- <br />westerly through the southwest corner <br /> <br />- <br />