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13 <br />Runoff and Discharge,--Annual runoff from the Sweetwater drain- <br />age of approximately 85 square miles has not been officially measured <br />and recorded. A gaging station is maintained by the U. S. Geological <br />Survey near Buford on the South Fork, near its confluence with the main <br />White River, The annual runoff from this 170 square mile drainage as <br />reported by the U. S. Geological Survey was as follows: <br />Table 3,--ANNUAL RUNOFF FROM THE SOUTH FORK DRAINAGE, 1952 TO 1962. <br />Water Acre Feet Water Acre Feet <br />Year (in Thousands) Year (in Thousands) <br />1952 259.2 1958 204.7 <br />1953 188.6 1959 176,5 <br />1954 130.4 1960 170.5 <br />1955 153.8 1961 144.1 <br />1956 166.2 1962 240.8 <br />1957 242.3 <br />Average 188.8 <br />• The average annual runoff was computed to be equivalent to ap- <br />proximately 2I inches over the entire watershed. This is one of the higher <br />water-yielding watersheds of Colorado; the Poudre River above Fort Collins, <br />for example, has an annual runoff of only about six inches over its water- <br />shed. The maximum historic flow at the Buford station was 3,000 c.f.s. <br />recorded on June 30, 1957; and the historic minimum flow of 60 c.f,s. was- <br />recorded on February 21, 1955. <br />Runoff from the White River watershed (including both forks) in- <br />creased substantially after a large part of the timber was killed by the <br />Engelmann spruce bark beetle between 1941-1946.1/ Increase for the period <br />_ 1947-1951 over the mean flaw prior to the insect infestation was 22 percent. <br />. _..~ <br />1/ Love, L. D. - The effect on stream flow of the killing of spruce and <br />pine by the Engelmann spruce bark beetle. Trans. Am, Geophysical Union, <br />36(1):113-118, Feb. 1955. <br />