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<br />Yampa and White River Basin Facts <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board March 2002 <br /> <br /> <br />. <br />Walden <br /> <br />· Greeley <br /> <br />· Sterling <br /> <br />· Denver <br /> <br />Grand <br />J'4f1ction <br /> <br />. Glenwood <br />Springs <br /> <br />Burlingto~ <br /> <br />Gunnis~n <br /> <br />.Colorado <br />Springs <br /> <br />· Pueblo <br />., La Junta <br /> <br />A1am~a <br />$ Durango <br /> <br />Ove rvi ew <br /> <br />The White and Yampa River Basins <br />drain the northwest corner of the state. <br />Development of the basin yield is <br />limited by interstate compacts with <br />other Colorado River Basin States. <br /> <br />Major tributaries to the Yampa include <br />the Little Snake, Williams Fork, Elk and <br />Bear Rivers as well as Fortification and <br />Elkhead Creeks. Major tributaries to <br />the \Xlhite include Piceance, Snell, <br />Ripple, Marvine, Big Fish, Miller, Flag, <br />Little Beaver, and Big Beaver Creeks; <br />and the North and South Forks of the <br />White. An average of 2.2 million acre- <br />feet leaves the state via these two river <br />systems each year. This represents <br />21 percent of the total flow leaving the <br />state. The major water use in the basins <br />is irrigation, with diversions of ap- <br />proximately 700,000 acre-feet annually <br />for the irrigation of 113,000 acres. <br /> <br />The basins are comprised of all or <br />parts of four counties. Between <br />1990 and 2000, population in these <br />basins increased by 24 percent, and <br />now accounts for 0.9 percent of the <br />state's total population. The graph <br />below lists population for the <br />portions of the counties that are in <br />these basins. <br /> <br />r---- <br /> <br />-l <br /> <br /> <br />Fishhook Lake (Photo courlesy of Bill Green) <br /> <br />Conservation and <br />Conservancy Districts <br /> <br />Growth <br /> <br />Water Conservation Districts <br />Colorado River <br /> <br />Water Conservancy Districts <br />Great Northern <br />Juniper <br />Savory Pot Hook <br />Upper Yampa <br />Yellow Jacket <br />Rio Blanco <br /> <br /> <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br /> <br />Greg Walcher <br />DNR Executive Director <br /> <br />Rod Kuharich <br />CWCB Director <br /> <br />David H. Smith <br />CWCB Member, <br />Yam pa/Wh ite <br />River Basin <br /> <br />25 <br /> <br />Yampa and White River Basin Population by County <br /> <br />Total Basin Population o 1990 .2000 <br />April 1990 31,800 <br />April 2000 39,472 <br />Percent Growth = 24% <br /> r-- <br /> r-- <br /> r-- <br />~ - <br /> <br />20 <br /> <br />Surface Water Diversions in Acre-feet by Use <br /> <br />a;- <br />c.. <br />o <br />GJ <br />~ 15 <br />o <br />o <br />~ <br /> <br /> 1998 (AF) 1996 (AF) <br />D Irrigation 719,124 732,424 <br />. Storage 2,132 1,213 <br />D Municipal 8,103 8,324 <br />D Industrial 5460 4111 <br />. Transbasin 3,643 2,768 <br />D Stock 31,072 30,755 <br />III Fish 35,227 23, 1 94 <br />D Power 525,649 541,768 <br />Total 1,352,120 1,361,950 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />c: <br />:8 10 <br />ctI <br />:i <br />a. <br />o <br />a. <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />o <br /> <br />~o <br />~0 <br />01f <br /> <br />vO <br />~~~ <br />~o <br /> <br />Source: Colorado Deparlment of Local Affairs <br /> <br />~ <br />~o <br /> <br />'!::-~ <br />~o <br /> <br />Source: Colorado Division of Water Resources Division 6 Annual <br />Reporls, 1996-1998 <br /> <br />Additional information about these river basins is <br />available at http: / j cwcb.state.co.us <br />