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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I its junction with the Gunnison River approximately 8.5 miles west of the Town of Hotchkiss in Delta County. Terror, Hubbard, Minnesota, and Leroux Creeks enter the North Fork between Paonia Reservoir and Hotchkiss. The North Fork drains a basin of approximately 986 square miles. Figure 1.0 General Location of the North Fork Watershed N W*E S N Railroads N North Fork of the Gunnison River ;^V Streams D North Fork Watershed Boundary L _J County Line 7V Highways _ TO\\-TIS 14 MUss The North Fork Valley consists of multiple river terraces positioned laterally along a highly dissected broad valley with gentle down-valley elevation relief. The soils along the river valley are deep and moderately deep, nearly level to steep, well-drained gravelly loam and stony loam that formed in outwash alluvium derived from igneous rock. The vegetation is classified as northern desert scrub and consists primarily of juniper, sagebrush, western wheatgrass, muttongrass, fourwing saltbush and bitterbrush. The North Fork of the Gunnison River is a fourth order perennial stream dominated by snowmelt with average bankfull widths of 100 to 200 feet. The average bankfull flow during the spring runoff is approximately 3,000 cubic feet per second (cfs); however, irrigation diversions can reduce late summertime flows to less than 20 cfs. The predominant alluvial landforms produce high bedload and sediment supply. Land Use Numerous small communities line the banks of the North Fork of the Gunnison River as it flows west towards the Gunnison River. These little towns include Somerset, Bowie, Paonia, and Hotchkiss. There are two National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitted wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) along Segments 2 and 3 of the North Fork (for a description of the river segmentation see Table 1.3, below). These WWTPs are located near the towns of Paonia and Hotchkiss. All other towns, 1-2