8249

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8249
• Author: Modde, T., W. J. Miller and R. Anderson.
• Title: Determination of Habitat Availability, Habitat Use, and Flow Needs of Endangered Fished in the Yampa River Between August and October.
• USFW Year: 1999.
• USFW - Doc Type: Project #CAP-9,
• Copyright Material: NO

Table 2.1. Description!! of river strata in the Yampa River, Colorado study area 1996 and 1997.

River Mile Location Total
Strata (Kilometer) Miles Description
(km)
1 0-20.0 (0-32.2) 20 Echo Park to Harding Hole: A medium-gradient canyon-bound
(32.2) reach, consisting of run, riffle and pool habitat, with boulder,
gravel and sand substrate. Located in Dinosaur National
Monument.
2 20.0-45.0 (32.2-72.4) 25 Harding Hole to Deerlodge Park: A high-gradient canyon-bound
(40.2) reach, consisting of run, riffle and pool habitat, with boulder and
gravel substrate. Located in Dinosaur National Monument.
3 45.0-51.0 (72.4-82.1) 6 (9.7) Deerlodge Park to Little Snake River confluence: A low-gradient
open-valley reach, consisting of run and riffle habitat, with gravel
and sand substrate. A small portion in Dinosaur National
Monument, but mostly bordered by private land.
4 51.0-55.6 (82.1-89.5) 4.6 (7.4) Little Snake River confluence to Cross Mountain: A low-gradient
open-valley reach, consisting of run, riffle and pool habitat, with
gravel and sand substrate. Mostly bordered by private land.
6 58.8-88.7 (94.6-142.7) 29.9 Cross Mountain to Juniper Canyon: A low-gradient open-valley
(48.1) reach, consisting of run and riffle habitat, with gravel and sand
substrate. Mostly bordered by private land. Most ofthe floodplain
is grazed and is adjacent to irrigated agricultural land. Only a
small percentage of the riverbank is stabilized by shrubby
vegetation. The Maybell gage is located near the upper edge of
this Stratum at RM 85.8.
8 91.0-135.0 (146.5- 44.0 Juniper Canyon to Craig: A medium-gradient open-canyon reach,
217.3) (70.8) consisting of run, riffle and pool habitat, with gravel and sand
substrate. The river reach between RM 105 and RM 126 is the
Little Yampa Canyon management unit. The Williams Fork and
Milk Creek are the only major tributaries to enter the river above
Cross Mountain and its confluence is at RM 129. Bordered by
BLM and private land.

Stratum 4 extends from the Little Snake River confluence at RM 51 upstream to RM 55.6, the lower end
of Cross Mountain Canyon. Substrate consists mainly of cobble and gravel that is washed out of Cross
Mountain Canyon. Riffles, eddies and side channels are common and there is a large deep pool in the
section where Colorado pikeminnow were previously collected by Seethaler (1978). Average gradient is
8 feet/mile and average depth is about 3 feet during post runoff (Miller et al. 1982),

Stratum 6 extends from RM 58.5 to RM 88.0 and includes the communities of Sunbeam and Maybell.
The Yampa River in this stratum meanders in a wide valley floor, has a low gradient and has a high
percentage of run habitats and sandy substrates. Most of the floodplain is grazed and adjacent to irrigated

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