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Cisco-Fish Ford (Stratum 6): The Cisco-Fish Ford reach begins below Westwater Canyon, near <br />RKM 180, and terminates at RKM 153, about 2 km below the confluence with the Dolores River. <br />The upper portion of this reach is bounded by shales of the Morrison Formation, while the lower <br />portion is bounded by sandstones of the Dakota Group (Williams, 1964). Both units are easily <br />eroded, allowing the river to form a broad alluvial valley with a distinct floodplain. Floodplain <br />vegetation is similar to reaches upstream. The average slope is 0.00066, the bankfull width is 147 <br />in, the bankfull depth is 4.49, and the bed material is gravel with a D50 of 38 mm (Table 1). <br />Dewey (Stratum 5): The Dewey reach begins at RKM 151 and ends near the head of Professor <br />Valley at RKM 140 (Fig. 1). The first few kilometers of this reach are bounded by Navaho <br />Sandstone and Wingate Sandstone; further downstream, shales of the Cutler Formation appear at <br />river level. Steep-walled cliffs border the river in several places, but a small, discontinuous <br />floodplain is generally present along much of the channel, thus we classify this reach as quasi- <br />alluvial. The average slope of the reach is 0.00047, the bankfull width is 132 m, the bankfull depth <br />is 5.14 m, and the bed material is sand and gravel with a D50 of 34 mm (Table 1). <br />Professor Valley (Stratum 4): Professor Valley (Fig. 1) is part of the Richardson Amphitheater, a <br />broad valley formed as a result of uplift and differential erosion of a series of northwest-trending <br />salt anticlines. Colman (1983) reports that uplift has been occurring in this area for at least the last <br />2.5 MY. A sharp inflection in the river's profile occurs just below Hittle Bottom, and the average <br />gradient here increases to 0.00149. Professor Valley also contains several alluvial fans deposited <br />by floods from the La Sal Mountains. Boulders from these fans now form a series of rapids. The <br />river is bounded by shales and thinly bedded sandstones of the Cutler Formation, and Pleistocene <br />terraces. The average bankfull width in this reach is 203 m, the bankfull depth is 4.61 in, and the <br />bed material is gravel and cobbles with a D50 of 70 mm (Table 1). <br />Big Bend (Stratum 3): The Big Bend reach starts below White's Rapid at RKM 124, and ends at <br />RKM 113 (Fig. 1). The upper portion of the reach is a deeply incised canyon bounded by Wingate <br />sandstone, a resistant bedrock unit that weathers to produce steep hillslopes mantled with talus and <br />large boulders; a floodplain is generally absent here. The lower 6 km of the reach is bounded by <br />the less resistant Navajo Sandstone; the canyon is somewhat wider here and a floodplain is present <br />along one or both banks. Thick tamarisk covers the floodplain in this lower segment. The average <br />slope of the reach is 0.00098, the bankfull width is 106 m, the bankfull depth is 6.43 m, and the <br />average D50 is 63 mm (Table 1). <br />Moab (Stratum 2): This reach encompasses the area upstream of Moab, UT, through the Moab <br />Valley, from RKM 111 to RKM 105. Although this reach is short, it is unique because, here, the <br />Colorado River goes through an abrupt transition from gravel- to sand-bed, with a corresponding <br />decrease in channel gradient. Near Moab, the river has cut a wide alluvial valley directly across the <br />Moab Anticline. A wide floodplain covered with dense tamarisk is present through much of the <br />reach. The average channel gradient is 0.00034. The average bankfull width is 151 m, the bankfull <br />depth is 5.13 m, and the bed material is gravel and sand with a D50 of 28 mm (Table 1). <br />Potash (Stratum 1): The reach from Moab to Potash, UT marks the downstream end of the study <br />area. This reach begins at RKM 103 and ends below the Potash plant at RKM 77 (Figure 1). The <br />floodplain is discontinuous here, but well-developed where present. Dense thickets of tamarisk <br />cover the floodplain in this reach. The channel is considerably wider here than upstream, with an <br />average bankfull width of 197 m; the bankfull depth is 4.51 m, and the bed material is sand with a <br />D50 of 0.025 mm (Table 1). <br />8