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<br />o <br />-..-, <br />-d" <br />...-4 <br /> <br />WHITEWATER SUBBASIN <br /> <br />Physical Description of Subbasin <br /> <br />~ Whitewater subbasin is located in the lower reaches of the Gunnison <br />River Basin and comprises the watershed tributary to the river from <br />below Roubideau Creek to the Colorado.,R.iver, The elevation ranges :from about <br />4,550 ~o 10,000 feeL ) <br /> <br />Soils <br /> <br />Four of the major soil groupings are recognized in this subbasin: <br />Sierozem; 2. Brown"Chestnut; 3. Mountain Prairi.e-Chestnut; and 4. <br />-Wooded-Brown Podzolic~Mountai.n Prairie. <br /> <br />L Desert- <br />Gray <br /> <br />There are only 5,800 acres of irrigated land in this subbasin and all but <br />500 acres are in the Desert-Sierozem soil grouping. Acreage of the great <br />soil groups within the major groupings and distribution of this acreage, <br />by irrigated land and vegetative types, is given in table 35. <br /> <br />Land Use. Cover Conditions and Management <br /> <br />The Whitewater subbasin has a total area of approximately 588,209 acres or <br />11.5 percent of the total Gunnison Basin area. Irrigated land amounts to <br />approximately 5,800 acres, or a little over two percent of the irrigated lend <br />in the Gunnison Basin. These irrigated lands vary in elevation from 5,000 <br />to 6,000 feet above sea level with precipitation from 8 to 15 inches, Frost- <br />free season varies from about 120 to 190 days. <br /> <br />The type of farming varies by location. Some areas along the Main~tem of <br />the Gunnison River are used to produce fruit, predominantly peaches. The <br />irrigation water is pumped direct from the river. Another area around the <br />town of Whitewater and along the lower Kahnah Creek is used for general <br />agricultural farming similar to the Grand JalleJ~ The crops are alfalfa, <br />corn, sugar beets, and small grain. Other areas are scattered high up <br />along creeks such as Rscalante, Kahnah, East and Whitewater Creeks. These <br />latter areas are predominantly used for grass hay. <br /> <br />Thenonirrigated land is used for grazing, timber production, wildlife <br />habitat and recreation. Very little grazing value is realized from the <br />&~sert shrub zone, which is about one-fifth of the subbasin area, Other <br />areas furnish summer grazing for livestock and big game. About 86 percent <br />of the rangelands are Federally owned. These are divided about 52 percent <br />federal land reserve and 35 percent in the national forest. <br /> <br />The Uncompahgre plateau provi,des summer grazing for a large industry of both <br />sheep and cattle. Parts of the Kahnah Creek drainage supplies domestic <br />water to Grand Junction. <br /> <br />- 89 - <br />