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<br />. <br /> <br />water years 1944-46 and also approximately between water years 1963-65 (fig. <br />4). Cumulative annual stream discharge versus time was plotted (not <br />presented) to help identify changes in stream-discharge trends that might have <br />occurred; however. no long-term changes in annual stream discharge were <br />evident, but variability of annual mean discharges is significantly smaller <br />during 1964-82 than during 1930-63. CUmulative annual sus~nded-sediment load <br />versus time was plotted in figure 5 to help identify changes in suspended- <br />sediment trends that might have occurred. and changes in slo~ similar to the <br />changes in the double-mass curve (fig. 4) are app:lrent. '!bus, sane factor (s) <br />other than annual stream discharge also influenced the change in trend of <br />sus~nded sediment. <br /> <br />The change that occurred between water years 1944-46 coincides with a <br />change in sampling equipment. '!be u.s. Ir43 sus~nded-sediment sampler was <br />first used at station 09315000 during October 1945 (1946 water year). <br /> <br />The change that occurred approximately between water years 1963-65 <br />coincides with the completion of Flaming Gorge Dam during November 1962 (1963 <br />water year), which impounds water contributed from about 43 percent of the <br />drainage basin upstream from station 09315000. Flaming Gorge Reservoir acts <br />as a sediment trap, and it removes most of the sus~nded sediment in the Green <br />River from all sources upstream from the dam. Although little change in <br />annual streamflow occurred after the reservoir was essentially full, the <br />distribution of streamflow did change. A comJ;8rison of, flow-duration curves <br />(fig. 6) for 1930-62 and 1965-82 (1963-64 was not used because the reservoir <br />was filling) shows that the reservoir reduced peak flows and increased minimum <br />flows. This change in the distribution of streamflow undoubtedly affected <br />susp:mded-sediment loads. <br /> <br />A double-mass curve (similiar to figure 4) also was constructed (not <br />presented) for station 09261000, the Green River near Jensen, which is 202.5 <br />river miles upstream from station 09315000 and 87 river miles downstream fran <br />Flaming Gorge Dam. Continuous annual data for water years 1949-79 were <br />plotted. A change in slo~ was noted approximately between water years 1963- <br />65, similar to the change in figure 4. This second plot helps confirm that <br />Flaming Gorge Reservoir influenced the change in the relationship between <br />annual sus~nded-sediment loads and annual streamflow in the Green River at <br />station 09315000. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Mean annual loads were reduced by about 50 percent at station 09261000 <br />and by about 35 ~rcent at station 09315000 after the closure of Flaming Gorge <br />D3m (table 1). ~e reduction in annual sus~nded-sediment yield of the Gr~ <br />River downstream from Flaming Gorge Dam is about 110 tons per square mile. <br />Other factors may have been involved or responsible for the changes that <br />occurred between water years 1944-46 and 1$3-65, but their identification is <br />beyond the scope of this report. It is most probable, however, that the <br />changes in relationship that occurred at station 09315000 were caused by <br />changes in sampling equipment in October 1945 and the completion of Flaming <br />Gorge Dam in November 1962. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />9 <br />