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3.5 <br />are filled with coarse sand. Through most of its length to the town of Basalt, <br />the channel capacity is adequate to contain the predam mean annual flood of <br />approximately 1,000 cfs. Some flooding did occur into low-lying areas of the <br />flood plain at these flow rates prior to construction of Ruedi Dam. The channel <br />did not experience any significant bank or bed erosion. from predam, mean annual <br />floods. <br />Sources of sediment to the Fryingpan River below Ruedi Dam are from Rocky <br />Fork Creek and numerous small tributaries. Rocky Fork Creek is the only tribu- <br />tary with a sustained discharge over the year. During the spring runoff, Rocky <br />Fork yields fine sediments that produce turbidity. Other small tributaries <br />produce brief periods of turbidity in the Fryingpan River. <br />Under present operating conditions for Ruedi Reservoir, streamflows in the <br />Fryingpan River have been altered compared to those of the natural watershed. <br />Flows in the winter months of November through February currently average 164 <br />cfs while unregulated winter flows would average 43.3 cfs. Mean monthly flows <br />in June currently average 109 cfs while unregulated flows would average 1,091 <br />cfs. The present operation of the Ruedi Reservoir thus reduces peak summer flows <br />in the Fryingpan River below Ruedi Reservoir and augments winter flows. Table <br />3.2 gives measured mean monthly flows in the Fryingpan River for the average, <br />dry, and wet years of record (period of record from 1948 to 1983). The average <br />annual undepleted water yield from the Fryingpan watershed is 166,500 AF. <br />Average depletions by diversions in the headwaters of the watershed are 60,100 <br />AF (53,600 AF for Fryi ngpan -Arkansas Project and 6,500 AF for Busk-Ivanhoe). <br />Average depleted inflow to Ruedi Reservoir is 106,400 AF, which is slightly in <br />excess of the reservoir capacity of 102,400 AF. The Roaring Fork above its <br />confluence with the Fryingpan is unregulated. This upper portion of the Roaring <br />Fork watershed produces some 45 percent of the water yield from the entire <br />Roaring Fork watershed. Remaining water yield comes primarily from the Fryingpan <br />River (19 percent) and the Crystal River (32 percent). The Roaring Fork River <br />below the Fryingpan confluence extends 27 miles from Basalt to Glenwood Springs <br />with an average gradient of 27 feet per mile. The river has a boulder- and <br />cobble-bed channel which is well incised into the alluvial valley deposits along <br />most of its length. The channel has adequate capacity for the mean annual flood <br />except in some low-lying flood plain areas. <br />The streamflows in the Roaring Fork River are typial of the natural runoff <br />cycle of high mountain watersheds. Table 3.3 gives measured average monthly