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relatively flat lying or gently warped. Glaciation has strongly influenced the topography in the upper basins. Glaciers carved out the upper valleys forming the distinctive U-shaped valleys. In addition, glacial drift filled valleys and glacial meltwaters deposited sediments in lower elevations. Valley walls, over steepened by the glaciers, have moved toward the valleys leaving slopes of landslide debris which may extend for several miles. 2.5 LAND USE AND OWNERSHIP Lands of the Gunnison River Basin are used primarily for the production of timber, range-forage, mountain meadow hay, and irrigated crops. There are approximately 264,000 acres of irrigated land within the basin. Approximately 170,000 acres are located within the study area. Fruits and truck crop farmi ng together wi th general and cash -crop farmi ng and the product i on of forage and grain crops for livestock feed are the principal types of agricultural cropping. The irrigated lands at higher elevations are limited by a short growing season to the production of legume-grass hay or pasture. Pri vate and publi cly owned non- irrigated 1 and furni shes summer grazi ng for livestock. About 72 percent of the 1 and in the bas in is pub 1 i c 1 y owned. The breakdown of land ownership in the basin is as follows: F edera 1 State Private 71.4% 0.5% 28.1% 2.6 WATER RESOURCES The water supply for the Gunnison River originates principally from the me 1t i ng of wi nter snowpack on the high mounta in peaks, augmented by summer precipitation. There is considerable variation in watershed yield,reflecting cl imatological and meteorological differences in the different parts of the basin. Water yields range from more than 30 inches of runoff in parts of the c- 2-4 . 10003152