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I ___ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CHAPTER II EXISTING CONDITIONS IN THE STUDY AREA Section 1: Description of the Study Area The area with which this study is prionarily concerned consists of 14,255 acres (28.8 square miles) of net irrigated land in the basin of Tongue and Surface Creeks, including upper and lower Cedar Mesa but excluding approximately 2,300 acres provided with water from Fruitgrowers Reservoir, For management of water resources, the area is within the Grand Mesa Water Conservancy District (GM WCD), one of the sponsors of the present study. A location map, showing irrigated areas and principal features, is given on Figure II-I. The service area used in this study could possibly be expanded to include adjoining or nearby areas in any future feasibility studies, It is felt that the exclusion of these additional areas from the present study does not significantly effect the study results or conclusions, The irrigated agricultural land in the area of primary concern ranges from an elevation of about 5,300 feet above sea level, which is the elevation of the fields and orchards near the confluence of Tongue Creek and Gunnison River, up to about 8,000 feet, which is the elevation of some of the high pastures and grasslands, The irrigated land in the primary study area has been subdivided, for purposes of the study, into four sub-areas: Upper Surface Creek Service Area (4,500 acres), Lower Surface Creek Service Area (8,260 acres), Upper Cedar Mesa 0,730 acres), and Lower Cedar Mesa (740 acres), The sub-areas differ from one another with respect to crops, availability of water and average rank of water rights. A schematic of the irrigation system is shown on Figure 11-2, Farther upstream and at higher elevations than the Upper Surface Creek Service Area is the headwaters area of the Tongue and Surface Creeks basin, The principal streams which originate in the headwaters area are, from west to east, Dirty II-I