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Acco<ding to u.s. Census Bu<eau figu<es, the population of the Town of Paonia was 1,250 in 1976, up f<om 1,161 in 1970 (Refe<- ence 1). Because of the expected increase in mining activity, the population g<owth is p<edicted to be six to eight pe<cent pe< yea<. Minnesota Creek begins in the Gunnison National Forest, about 15 miles upst<eam of Paonia. Its headwate<s a<e at an elevation of app<oximately 10,000 feet. It flows in a no<thweste<ly di<ection th<ough the Town of Paonia to its confluence with the No<th Fo<k Gunnison River about one-half mile downstream of Paonia. The area drained by Minnesota Creek at Paonia is approximately 50 squa<e miles. The No<th Fo<k Gunnison Rive< begins app<oximately 42 miles upst<eam of Paonia at the confluence of the Anth<acite and Hubbard Creeks in Gunnison National Forest~ Its headwater a<eas a<e at an elevation of app<oximately 11,000 feet. It flows in a southwesterly direction through the northwest corporate limits of paonia towards its junction with the Gunnison River approximately 15 miles downst<eam. The d<ainage a<ea of No<th Fo<k Gunnison River at Paonia is approximately 750 square miles. The topog<aphy of the Gunnison Rive< basin above paonia consists mainly of mode<ately sloping valleys and mesas, which a<e highly disected by d<ainageways with steeply sloping sides. paonia lies in the No<th Fo<k Gunnison Rive< Valley floc< and slopes gently northwest toward the river. The soils in the study area consist mainly of Brown Chestnut association in the Paonia area and Mountain Prairie Chestnut, Gray Wooded, Brown Podzolic Mountain prairie, Alpine Meadow and Alpine Bog at the highe< elevations. These associations range from poorly drained soils in the Paonia area to well d<ained soils on the mountain slopes. Ponderosa pine, alpine fir, and aspen are common at the higher elevations, while sageb<ush and native g<asses g<ow in the flat regions at lower elevations. Phreatophytes, such as cottonwoods and willows, grow along streams and irrigation ditches. The climate of the study area is generally classified as semiarid. Gene<ally, ai< masses f<om the Pacific Ocean dominate f<om Octobe< th<ough Ap<il while ai< masses f<om the Gulf of Mexico dominate du<ing late sp<ing and surnme<. Precipitation in the study area varies with elevation and ranges f<om about 15 inches at paonia to 30 to 40 inches in the highe< elevations of the Minnesota C<eek Basin and 40 to 50 inches at the higher elevations in the North Fork Gunnison River Basin (Refer- ence 2). Most of the annual precipitation in the higher elevations occurs as snow f<om Octobe< to Ap<il and beginning in Octobe< a snowpack 4