9568

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9568
• Author: Resource Consultants Inc.
• Title: Sediment Transport Studies of the Little Snake, Yampa, and Green River Systems.
• USFW Year: 1991.
• USFW - Doc Type: Fort Collins, CO.
• Copyright Material: NO

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2.0

LITERATURE REVIEW

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2.1 General

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Comprehensive literature reviews were completed for two general categories: location and topical
subjects. Literature review of locational subjects considered documents related to hydrology, hydraulics
and sediment transport in the three main study regions: the Yampa River, the Little Snake River and the
Green River. Topical literature review considered specifically incipient motion and flushing flow topics.
The objective of the location based literature search was to review key references in the literature that
might contribute to understanding the Yampa-Little Snake-Green River fluvial system. The objective of
the incipient motion/flushing flow literature review was to provide information supporting incipient motion
analysis of cobble bed armor layers and flushing flow requirements for sand sized particles within a cobble
bed. The following sections summarize some important points and concepts from the literature review
efforts. Note that the complete RCI Task 2 Report detailing the incipient motion and flushing flow
literature review is provided in Appendix A.

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2.2

Yampa and Little Snake River Literature Review

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Andrews (1978) evaluated water and sediment loading from various sites in the Yampa River basin
based on measured discharge and suspended sediment data, as well as calculated bedload data. Water and
total sediment loading for various locations in the basin as a percentage of conditions at Deerlodge Park
(as represented by the sum of the Lily and Mayben gages) are summarized by Fig. 2.1, while Table 2.1
details the results near the confluence of the Little Snake and the Yampa Rivers. These results indicate
that while the drainage areas of the Little Snake and the Yampa River above the Little Snake are about
equal, the Little Snake river provides only 27 percent of the water to the Deerlodge Park reach, but 69
percent of total sediment, with most of this sediment being derived from the lower portion of the Little
Snake basin (e.g., below Baggs, Wyoming).

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. '-735 -
RIO 11 .ANe!
..'""'-..::::#--....-..:::::) -,,\.

Figure 2.1 Mean-annual runoff and lolal-sedimenlload at selected gaging .C..
stal inns expressed as percenlages or the c(lmhined runorr And combined ",f).l.~
tOlal..sedimenlloads ur lhe Yampa pnd Lillie Snake Rivers, estimaled ror
Ihe Vampa River al Deeriodge Park, Colo. (from Andrews, 1978)

EX PLANA TION

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PERCENTAGE OF TIlE COMIlINEO
~ RUNOFF OF TilE YAMPA ANO LITTLE
7J SNAKE RIVERS AT DEERLODGE
27 PARK
PERCENTAGE OF TIlE COMIlINED
SEI>IMENT LOAn 01' TilE YAMPA
ANn LITTLE SNAKE RIVERS AT
UEERLOIX.iE PAKK
..17 SEllIMENT.SAMPUNG SITE:
DAILY RECORDS
.27 SEllIMENT_SAMPLlNG SITE;
WEEKLY RECOR()S
vl2 SEI)IMENT -SAMPLING SITE;
INTERMITTENT RECORDS

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2-1

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