9521

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9521
• Author: Liebermann, T. D., D. K. Mueller, J. E. Kircher and A. F. Choquette.
• Title: Characteristics and Trends of Streamflow and Dissolved Solids in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
• USFW Year: 1989.
• USFW - Doc Type: Denver.
• Copyright Material: NO

Table 8. Selected annual monotonic-trend-analysis results-Green region
[Stations with less than 10 years of dissolved-solids data are not reported; n, number of years of dissolved-solids data; acre-ft/yr, acre-feet per
year; mg/L, milligrams per liter; tons/yr, tons per year; HS, highly significant (p < 0.01); S, significant (0.01 < p< 0.05); MS, marginally significant
(0.05 < p < 0.10); - -, not significant (p > 0.10)]

Site Period
(table of
3, record
plate (water
1) years)

n
Annual trend
in streamflow
Signif- Trend Per-
icance (acre- 1
level ft/yr) cent Annual

Concentration
Signif-Trend Per-
icance 1
level (mg/L) cent trend in

Signif-
icance
level dissolved solids
Flow-adjusted
Load concentration
Trend Per- Signif- Trend Per-
(tons/ icance
yr) cent' level (mg/L) cents
22 1962-82 220 -- -- -- -- -- -- S -615 15 -- -- --
23 1966-83 18 --
-
-- --
-- -- -- -- -- -- --
24 1964-81 18 --
- --
-- -
- -- -- -- -- --
25 1968-83 16 -- - -- -- -- --
27 1962-80 218 MS 1,140 79 -- -- -- S 1,740 53 S 13.9 17
30 1952-63 12 -- -- -- -- -- -- MS -15,600 34 -- -- --
30 1964-83 20 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
31 1963-83 21 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
32 1955-83 228 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- S 3.1 16
33 1955-83 228 -- -- -- HS -9.4 41 -- -- -- HS -5.0 20
34 1965-83 19 -- - -- -- -- -- -- --
38 1951-83 33 -- -- -- HS 9 21 S 3,380 65 HS 1.2 29
40 1951-83 33 S 6,440 71 -- -- -- MS 1,310 50 -- -- --
41 1962-83 22 --
-- -- -
- -- -- -- -- -- --
43 1957-83 27 -- -- -- -- -- --
44 1974-83 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- HS -3.5 12
45 1971-83 13 -- -- -- -- -- --
46 1971-83 13 -- -- -- HS -44.1 34 -- -- -- MS -24.2 20
50 1951-68 18 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
50 1969-83 15 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
53 1949-83 231 -- -- -- S -33.2 37 -- -- -- HS -23.1 28
54 1929-62 34 -- - -- -- -- -- -- --
54 1965-83 19 -- -- -- - -- -- -- -- -- --
57 1947-83 37 -- -- -- -- -- --
'Percent change during period of record.
20ne or more years of data are mi ssing within th e period of record. Percenta ge changes are
calcu lated on the entire period.
from August through March (fig. 15C). The dissolved-solids
concentration is less variable than at site 24; calcium and
bicarbonate are the predominant ions throughout the year.
Flow-weighted dissolved-solids concentration and load are
greater than at site 24, and there is a larger sulfate load. No
statistically significant trends were detected during 1968-83.
Little Sandy Creek above Eden, Wyo. (site 26)
Mean daily streamflow at three sites in the Big Sandy
River basin are shown in figure 15D. The streamflow hydro-
graph for site 26 (table 3, pl. 1), upstream from the irrigated
area, indicates snowmelt beginning in April and peaking in
June, and very low streamflow from August through Feb-
ruary. Dissolved-solids concentration was relatively small,
even during the low-flow season, and the flow-weighted con-
centration averaged about 146 mg/L during 1976-81 (table
7). Calcium, sodium, and sulfate are the predominant ions
throughout the year, and bicarbonate also is a predominant
anion during the snowmelt-runoff season. The proportion of
dissolved sulfate increased during the low-flow season. No
trends were analyzed at this site because of the short period
of record.
Big Sandy River below Eden, Wyo. (site 27)
Mean daily streamflow at site 27 (table 3, pl. 1) is much
larger than at site 26 because of the larger drainage area;
however, the seasonal pattern is remarkably different (fig.
15D). Beginning about May, snowmelt runoff is diverted
almost totally for irrigation; irrigation-return flows dominate
during the remainder of the year. Mean annual flow-weighted
dissolved-solids concentration is large; during 1962-80, it
averaged 1,510 mg/L (table 7). Annual dissolved-solids load
averaged about 82,000 tons. Sodium and sulfate composed
76 percent of the dissolved-solids load.
Annual monotonic-trend analyses indicated a marginal-
ly significant increase in median annual streamflow of 1,140
acre-ft/yr (table 8). Median annual dissolved-solids load
increased significantly, as a result of large increases in base
36 Characteristics and Trends of Streamflow and Dissolved Solids in the Colorado River Basin