WSP11343

• File Number: 8200.760
• Description: Yampa River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Water Division: 6
• Date: 1/1/3000
• Author: Clifford H Jex
• Title: Report on Water Runoff and Stream Depletion of the Yampa River in Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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003022

UPPER YAMPA SUBBASIN

Location and Description

The Upper Yampa Subbasin includes the watershed

area of the Yampa River upstream from the U. S. Geological

Survey Maybell gaging station. The Yampa River heads on the

Continental Divide and runs in a general westerly direction

to its junction with the Green River in northwest Colorado.

The subbasin includes a major part of Routt and Moffat Coun-

ties and small portions of Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties.

The watershed is all above an elevation of 5,900 feet

and extends to mountain peaks over 12,400 feet along the Con-

tinental Divide. Over 80 percent of the watershed area is

above an elevation of 7,000 feet. Records show that sections

of the upper watershed receive over 50 inches a year of pre-

cipitation.

Watershed Runoff
The average annual historic runoff for the Yampa
River at the U. S. Geological Survey Maybell gaging station
for the 18-year study period of 1943-1960 amounted to
1,061,900 acre feet. This runoff, which originated on only
52 percent of the watershed area, is 82 percent of the water-
shed runoff for the entire basin in Colorado. About 72 per-
cent of the runoff originated from the melting of accumulated
winter snow and occurs during the three snowmelt months of May,
June and July. The following table gives the annual runoff

7