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<br />, ~~ <br />'-' II.. ( <br /> <br />THE PIEDRA RIVER - PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SETI1NG <br /> <br />The Piedra River is a tributary of the San Juan River. The Piedra originates at the Continental <br />Divide; the headwater streams include the East and West Forks of the Piedra River. Williams <br />Creek. Weminuche Creek, Sand Creek and First Fork. The Piedra River flows into :-.tavajo <br />Reservoir near the Colorado - New Mexico state line. <br /> <br />There are approximately 235,760 acres (386 mi'Z) in the Piedra River watershed upstream of the <br />point where the river crosses Highway 160 between Bayfield and Pagosa Springs. See Figure <br />A. Approximately 221,360 acres are National Forest System lands; the remaining 14,400 <br />acres are in other ownerships. Of the 14,400 acres, approximately 660 acres are to be <br />acquired by the Forest Service through a donation from The Nature Conservancy. The <br />proposed Piedra Wilderness includes only National Forest System lands and 47,490 of the total <br />56.000 acres are within the Piedra River watershed. There are 9.7 miles of the mainstem of <br />the river from Section 18. T36N, R3W above Sand Creek: to Section 20. T35N. R4W below <br />Indian Creek within the proposed wilderness. The proposed wilderness includes the lo.....er <br />portions of the Sand Creek. First Fork. Sheep Creek, and Indian Creek watersheds. <br /> <br />Based on records from the USGS stream gage .....hich was located near the present Highway 160 <br />bridge, average annual water yield from the Piedra River is 219.765 acre-feet. This gage. <br />Piedra River at Piedra. was operaled from 1938 to 1973 and has 33 complete years of record <br />(from 1940 to 1972). Total annual yield and the pattern of runoff vary substantially from year <br />to year. In tenns of annual yield. 1941 was the wettest year of record (533.193 acre-feet) and <br />1959 was the driest (89.565 acre-feet); see Figure B. <br /> <br />AnnuIIU,drogupM <br />Piedra RiVn" at Lower \\ildft'DeM Boundary <br />Wtttt'5t Ynr 01 Rtcord .1941 <br />Dri~ Yur 01 RKord. 1'5' <br /> <br />"" ~ <br />I <br />_:1 <br />~,o>> t <br />1!~.. <br />~ I <br />_2000 .. <br />:! ljOOl <br />~ I <br />~'~~~ <br />~i~55g~5~ <br /> <br />"" j\ <br />~~ <br />"" I <br />~ " <br />_.. _~ ~~J~ <br /> <br />- - ~ <br />N <br />- -- <br />'" ..... ..., <br /> <br />~;~.:..@.~~s <br />,.. _ .... on "" _ _ ,_ <br /> <br />Figure B <br /> <br />P:lge 4 <br />