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7 8 STUOYAREADESCRIPTION Dra;naq~ Basin Characteristics The Roaring Fork River contributes more water to the Colorado Rive rthan any other strealh In Colorado except for the Gunn;son RIver. Tlll'll.SOQ square mile ba,ln yields an average of almost 1.000,000 acre-feet per year. OFth;samount,about8percel'lt is currently being diverted to the E"sternslope. Majortrlbutarles to the RO<lrlng Fork are the Crystal and FrylngpanRivers. The Crystal River enters the Roaring Fork below the area described in this report. Over 7S percent of the land in the basIn Is managed by the Bureau of land Management or the Forest Service. Mostof the private land is located along the major streams where the flooding potential is the highest (Referen<::e7,6l. The Fryingpan River Joins the ~oaring Fork River at a point j~st downstream of the Pitkin County line. The Fryingpan River has its headwaters in the Sawatch Mountain Range above timberline, and flows west to its confluence with the Roaring Fork River at the Town of Basalt. The flows delivered to theROi'lrlng Fork RIver from the Frylngpan comprise about 19per"ento fthe total Roaring Fork flow. The Frylngpan River floodplain starts at this confluence and "ontinues approximately 1.0 mile ~pstreJm to J point above the "ity limits of the Town of Basalt. Iii thin these study limits the Frying- pan flows at an average slope of 1.5 percent. As well as being important geographic features of the county, streams and rivers are important to the basic economy of Eagle County. The majority of the residents In Eagle County lIve within a few thousand feet of major The headwaters of the Roaring Fork RIver start In the Sawatch MOuntain Range above 14,000 feet and about 15 miles east of the Clty of Aspen. framthe headwaters the stream drops 4,500 feet in about 20 mIles to the City of A.pen. About 16 percent of the total Roaring Fork Basin 151ocatedabove Aspen. Near Aspen, major tributaries JoIn the Roaring Fork which Include M<lroonCreek,CastleCreekandHunterCreek(See Orawlng 1). Ureams. TABLE 1 ORAINAGE BASIN AREAS (Square Miles) From Aspen the Roaring Fork flows at an average grade of 1.2 percent for 17 mi 1 ~s to Basal t. wh~re the Frvingpan River enter5 the Roadnn Fork. At the confluence of the Frylngpan, 5) percent of the total Roaring Fork Basin h"s been collectad. From this point, the Roaring Fork flows 24 miles to Glenwood SprIngs where it enters the Color~do River. The only major tribu- tary In thl~ lower reach is the Crystal River which Joins the Roaring Fork at the Town of Carbondale (Reference I and 2). lle~cript ion Drainage Ared Cumulative OralnaqeAre<l This flOOdplain study Is tor that portion of the Roaring tork River con- talnedwlthlnEagleCounty. The Roaring Fork River fToodplain starts at the Pitkin County line and continues approxlmateTy 5.7 miles downstr !!am to the GarfIeld County Line. Along this study reach the Roaring Fork River flows at an average grade of 0.7 percent. At the Garfield Co~nty Line, 58 perce_nt of the total Roaring Fork draTn<lge basin has been collected. Ta~le 1 gives the approximate basin areas within this studv reach. Frylnqpan River. above Basalt Roaring Fork River, above Fryingpan Roaring Fork River, above Soprls Creek, below FryingpanRTver RoariPlg Fork River, above Garfield County Line, below Sopris Creek '9' '9' 5" 800 so 8SO " '10 In \965, the Colorado liater Conservation Board estl""'ted be Over 800,000 fisherman d<lys In the Roaring Fork River 2000. InaddltTontofisherm;,n, boat"",nareexpectedto fork on an increased frequency (Rehrence 2). that there would Basin by the year use the Roaring