Laserfiche WebLink
• 6 Consumptive Uses and Losses <br />Agriculture is concentrated along the main stem of the Little Colorado River in the upper <br />reaches of the river, on Silver Creek, a southern tributary, and on the Zuni River in New <br />Mexico. Current irrigated lands in the basin are estimated to average approximately 20,000 <br />acres. Irrigated acreage in the basin is subject to variation because of frequent water <br />shortages and inadequate storage facilities. Population is predominately rural <br />with a relatively large Indian segment. Principal cities include Flagstaff, Winslow, and <br />Holbrook in Arizona, and Gallup, Zuni, and Pueblo in New Mexico. Leading industries <br />include tourism, recreation, manufacturing, mining, and forest management. <br />Virgin River, Arizona - Nevada -Utah <br />The Virgin River originates in western Kane County, Utah. It flows southwesterly through the <br />southwest corner of Utah and the northwestern corner of Arizona and empties into the <br />northern extremity of the Overton Arm of Lake Mead in Nevada. The selected outflow point <br />is the long -term USGS gauging station at Littlefield, Arizona, which is about 36 miles <br />upstream from Lake Mead and about 10 miles above the Arizona - Nevada State line. The <br />river is fed chiefly from tributaries heading in the southern high plateaus and mountains in <br />Utah. Several springs contribute water to the river at a relatively uniform rate. The two most <br />significant of these springs are located near LaVerkin, Utah, and Littlefield, Arizona, and <br />both are highly saline. Agricultural and municipal developments in Nevada below the <br />selected outflow point are included in the "tributary area above Lake Mead ". <br />The major irrigated areas are located in the LaVerkin- Hurricane -St. George -Santa Clara <br />areas of Washington County, Utah, and in the Littlefield area of Mohave County, Arizona. <br />Small irrigated areas are scattered throughout. Irrigated lands were estimated to average <br />approximately 18,000 acres. Ground water has been developed to a limited degree. <br />Population is predominately rural with St. George, Utah, being the principal city in the basin. <br />Muddy River, Nevada <br />The Muddy River, a tributary of the Virgin River prior to the existence of Lake Mead, <br />originates from warm springs in northern Clark County, Nevada, about 10 miles northwest of <br />Glendale. The river flows southeasterly about 30 miles and terminates at the northwestern <br />extremity of the Overton Arm of Lake Mead near Overton, Nevada. Meadow Valley Wash, <br />the major tributary of Muddy River, originates in northeastern Lincoln County and flows south <br />to join the parent stream at Glendale. The USGS gauging station near Glendale is about 2.4 <br />miles downstream from Meadow Valley Wash. The outflow varies little from year to year. <br />Meadow Valley Wash, although perennial in the vicinity of Caliente, is normally dry in the last <br />50 -mile reach above Glendale. Irrigated lands averaged approximately 20,000 acres. The <br />entire basin is sparsely populated. <br />Bill Williams River, Arizona <br />The Bill Williams River is formed by the mergence of the Big Sandy and Santa Maria Rivers <br />about 7.5 miles above Alamo Dam. The river above Alamo Dam drains an area of about <br />4,700 square miles from small, rough mountain ranges and intervening valleys in parts of <br />Mohave, La Paz, and Yavapai Counties. Alamo Dam and Reservoir, primarily a flood <br />