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Colorado gage on the Dolores River, at Gateway, Colorado is about 4,350 square miles. Major <br />tributaries to the Dolores River include the West Fork of the Dolores, Lost Canyon Creek, <br />Disappointment Creek, West Paradox Creek, and the San Miguel River, which is discussed <br />separately below. The mean annual flow at Cisco, Utah <br />for the 32 years prior to the construction of McPhee <br />Reservoir in 1986 was 612,200 acre-feet. After <br />construction the mean annual flow was 555,386 acre- <br />feetbetween 1986 and 1993. <br />The San Miguel River is a major tributary to the <br />Dolores River, which it j oins near the town of Uravan, <br />Colorado. The San Miguel headwaters begin near the <br />town of Telluride in the Uncompahgre National Forest <br />where peaks are over 13,400 feet. The drainage area of <br />the San Miguel River above the gage at Uravan is <br />approximately 1,499 square miles. Average annual flow <br />at this gage is about 273,100 acre-feet. Major tributaries <br />to the San Miguel River include South Fork, Fall Creek, <br />Leopard Creek, Beaver Creek, Horsefly Creek, Naturita <br />Creek, and Tabegauche Creek. <br />1.2. Human and Economic Factors <br />The area remains relatively sparsely populated, with the 2003 census estimates placing the combined <br />populations of San Miguel, Dolores, Montezuma and La Plata Counties at approximately 79,543. <br />Durango and Cortez are the major population centers in the basin, with approximately 13,900 and <br />8,000 residents respectively. Dolores, La Plata and Montezuma Counties grew by just around 25 <br />percent from 1990 to 2000, whereas San Miguel County grew by over 45 percent in the same time <br />period. Population growth is concentrated along the San Juan Skyway including Cortez and <br />Durango, as well as in the Telluride Canyon. This growth attests to the importance of recreation- <br />based activities, as the ski area and other outdoor recreation opportunities draw people and increase <br />tourism within the basin. Tourism serves as an important part of the basin's economy. <br />The principal water use in both the San Juan and Dolores river basins is irrigation. The total irrigated <br />acreage in 2000 was approximately: 200,000 acres in the San Juan basin; 13,000 acres in the Dolores <br />basin; and 23,000 acres in the San Miguel basin. Non-agricultural diversions in the San Juan Model <br />include power generation at Cascade Reservoir (Electra Lake), the Ames-Ilium Hydro Project and <br />the Nucla Power Plant; the municipal water supply for the city of Durango and the towns of Mancos, <br />Animas, Rico, Fairfield, and Cortez; and parts of the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company <br />diversions. <br />Several diversions from rivers in the San Juan Model are exported from the basin. These diversions <br />include the San Juan Chama Proj ect which diverts from the Rio Blanco, Little Navajo, and Navaj o <br />Rivers for use in the Rio Grande basin. Other smaller diversions transport water from the San Juan, <br />Piedra, Los Pinos, and Animas rivers for delivery to basins outside of the San Juan River basin. The <br />San Juan Model includes many diversions that transfer water from one tributary basin to another <br />San Juan & Dolores River Basin Information 1-2 <br />San Miguel River near Telluride <br />