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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION Drainage Basin Characteristics The area of analysis included in this report consists of the White River watershed above a point two miles west of Meeker where Colorado-Ute's 138 KV electrical transmission line crosses the White River; see General Map, Drawing 1-2. Further analysis has been made on the Sulphur Creek drainage basin and on the Sanderson Heights basin, both of which are sub-basins within the White River watershed and drain through Meeker. The White River watershed above Meeker extends approximately 50 miles east of town, averages 24 miles in width, and is approximately 872 square miles in area. It rises from an elevation of 6,100 feet at the west boundary of the study area to elevations near 12,000 feet with the mean elevation being about 8,800 feet. The White River basin borders the Yampa River basin on the north and the Colorado River basin on the south. Above Buford the river has two major stems, the North Fork and South Fork. Both originate in the White River Plateau, which is a high mesa with a mean elevation of 10,000 feet. The ground cover within the watershed is widely varied, but consists primarily of sage and brush at lower elevations and forests of aspen, pine, juniper and scrub oak at higher elevations. The river valley is used for farming and grazing. The Sulphur Creek basin extends about 10 miles to the north of Meeker, averages 3 miles in width and is 22.2 square miles in area. It rises from 6,800 feet at the north city limits to elevations above 8,000 feet at the north boundary, which coincides with the White River watershed boundary. The ground cover is primarily sage and oak brush with some juniper, aspen and pinon at higher elevations. There is also some crop and grazing land in the valleys. Sulphur Creek has one major tributary, Fourmile Gulch, which drains about one-fourth of the basin. Runoff from the Sanderson Heights area originates in a steep ravine which flows into a wider valley with a milder slope before descending into Meeker. From the north limits of Meeker, the Sanderson Heights Drainageway rises from an elevation of 6,360 feet to a maximum of 7,600 feet with slopes from 696 in the valley to 2096 in the mountain ravine. The area of this sub-basin is less than 0.5 square miles. Ground cover in Sanderson Heights is principally sage with scrub oak and pinion at the higher elevations. The area is subject to development in the future which could change the runoff patterns and quantities in the lower areas of the basin just north of Meeker. Climate and Precipitation The average annual precipitation of Meeker is 16.5 inches. Eight to ten inches of this normally fall during the period of October through April, largely in the form of snowfall. Six to eight inches of rain fall during the late spring and summer months. The mean annual temperature at Meeker is about 44 degrees F., with extremens to -43 degrees F., and 103 degrees F. Study Reach Description The study reach of the White River is approximately 7.4 miles in length and is centered about the town of Meeker, Colorado. The lower limit is two miles west of Meeker to where Colorado-Ute's l38KV electrical transmission line crosses the White River and its upper limit is just east of the Buford turnoff east of Meeker. The study reach of Sulphur Creek is about 1.5 miles in length, extending from the confluence with the White River to just north of the Meeker town limits. The White River Valley in the study area is wide and the river meanders. The average slope of the stream bed is 0.496. With the exception of a few private residences, the river valley is largely undeveloped and is presently used primarily for grazing. Six bridges currently span the White River in the study area. Sulphur Creek within the Town of Meeker is a man-made channel which does not follow the natural stream course. The average slope of the stream bed is 1.296. North of -3-