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1990. In addition to the direct ditch diversions there are 18 major reservoirs. <br />Other water uses in the upper Colorado River basin include diversions for geothermal <br />power generation at the Grand Valley Power Plant, mining operations, and snowmaking. <br />Diversions for municipal use include several large towns (e.g. Grand Junction, Glenwood <br />Springs), municipal districts (e.g. Ute Water Conservancy District), and a number of <br />relatively smaller towns (e.g. Vail). <br />A major water use on the Upper Colorado River is transmountain diversions. These <br />diversions serve water supply needs for irrigation and municipal use along the Front <br />Range and eastern plains of Colorado. Major transmountain diversions include the <br />Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project; the City of Denver's Moffat Tunnel System; the <br />City of Denver's Roberts Tunnel System; the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project; the <br />Independence Pass Transmountain Diversion System; and the Homestake Diversion <br />Project. <br />Gunnison River Basin <br />The Gunnison River is the major tributary to the Colorado River in Colorado. The <br />drainage area of approximately 8,000 square miles in Colorado, includes portions of <br />Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mesa, Montrose, Ouray, and Saguache Counties. Major <br />tributaries to the Gunnison River include the Uncompahgre River, North Fork of the <br />Gunnison, Tomichi Creek, Lake Fork of the Gunnison and the Smith Fork. It contributes <br />an average annual flow of approximately 1,899,000 acre-feet (1987-1998) to the <br />Colorado River at Grand Junction. <br />The principal water use in the basin is irrigation. The average total irrigated acreage in <br />the basin, according to the State's GIS data, is 235,600 acres for the period 1986 through <br />1990. In addition to the direct ditch diversions, there are eleven major reservoirs. <br />Other water uses in the basin include diversions for mining operations, and diversions for <br />several relatively small towns. There are two exports from the Gunnison River basin to <br />the Colorado River basin, Divide Creek Highline Feeder diverts water for irrigation on <br />Divide Creek, and Grand Junction diverts water from Kannah Creek for municipal use. <br />Yampa River Basin <br />The Yampa River is a major tributary to the Green River. The drainage area of <br />approximately 7,700 square miles in Colorado, includes portions of Garfield, Moffat, Rio <br />Blanco, and Routt Counties. Major tributaries to the Yampa River include the Bear <br />River, Walton Creek, Fish Creek, Trout Creek, Elk River, Elkhead Creek, Fortification <br />Creek, the Williams Fork River, and the Little Snake River. Average annual streamflow <br />in the upper portion of the drainage at the USGS gage on the Yampa River below <br />Stagecoach Reservoir is approximately 57,000 acre-feet (1989-1998), which increases to <br />an annual average of 1,658,000 (1983-1998) acre-feet at the USGS gage near Deerlodge <br />Park. <br />culossapp Page 4 of 24 09/30/1999 <br />