FLOOD03827 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Grand Junction, Montrose, and Glenwood Springs are the prin- cipal cities of the subregion in Colorado. Moab is the only major cOlllIlll1Ility in the Utah portion. Mineral development is the predominant industry of the sub- region. The area is the Nation I s chief source of molybdenum and is a major source of vanadium, uranium, lead, zinc, coal, and gilsonite. Although gold and silver were the basis for early settlement, production of these metals is now of secondary import- ance. In addition, the Upper Main stem &1bregion contains vast reserves of oil shale which offer potentialities for large future industrial developments. In the Upper Main stem &1bregion, agriculture centers around livestock production and production of livestock feeds on irrigated lands to complement the large areas of rangeland. Some land areas are devoted to sugar beets, beans, potatoes, table vegetables, and fruit production. This diversification is made possible by topo- graphic conditions which create favorable air drainage and minimize frost damage. '111e subregion contains numerous recreational areas of national significance. These include several National Forests, Rocky Mountain National Park, part of Canyonlands National Park, Shadow Mountain and Curecanti National Recreation Areas, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Arches National Monuments. Also the area contains such noted ski. resort areas as Aspen and Vail as well as many popular resorts on both public and private land. b. San Juan-Colorado &1breiP-on. - The San Juan Colorado Sub- region comprises the drainage area of the Colorado River and its tributaries from the mouth of the Green River to Lee Ferry. This subregion includes portions of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. It has a total area of about 38,644 square miles or 34 percent of the Upper Colorado Region. The main tributary of the Colorado River in this subregion is the San Juan River, second largest tributary in the Colorado system. The San Juan River, a perennial stream, has its headwaters on the western slope of the Continental Divide in southwestern Colorado and enters the Colorado River about 80 miles upstream from Lee Ferry. Several small streams including Dirty Devil, Escalante, and Paria Rivers drain the eastern side of the Wasatch Plateau in Utah and join the Colorado from the west. The largest cities of the subregion are Durango and Cortez in Colorado, Monticello and Blanding in Utah, and Farmington in New l'lexico. Page, near Glen Canyon Dam, is the only collll1Ulllity of signif- icant size in the Arizona portion of the subregion. Most of the remaining Arizona portion of the subregion is in Indian reservations. 2