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<br /> <br />Less irrigation water will be diverted early in the season, but <br /> <br />spring runoff not now controlled and nct needed for irrigation <br />early in the season will be made available for later use. The <br /> <br />'t' <br /> <br />reregulated flows will furnish complete irrigation water for the <br />271,000 acres of land now irrigated. Crop yields are expeoted to <br />inorease from 15 to 40 peroent. The existing privately-owned irri- <br />gation works will distribute the water in the same manner as at <br />present. <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF THE AnA <br /> <br />,. <br /> <br />Physical Features <br /> <br /> <br />The 11io Grande <br /> <br /> <br />8. The Rio Grande originates on the Continental Divide in the <br /> <br /> <br />rugged San Juan .Mountains at elevations of about 14,000 feet and <br /> <br /> <br />drops to about 7.500 feet within the lower limits of the projeot <br /> <br /> <br />area. Above the oonfluenoe of the South Fork, the Rio Grande Valley <br /> <br /> <br />is narrOW with preoipitous canyon walls. Below the town of South <br /> <br /> <br />Fork, the high mowtain valley widens into the broad Rio Grande and <br /> <br /> <br />San Luis Valleys. 1184 <br /> <br />9. The Rio Grande is about 1,800 miles in length and drains <br /> <br /> <br />about 175,000 square miles. of which all but 780 square miles lie <br /> <br /> <br />below Wagon Wheel Gap. Within the reservoir site the Rio Grande flows <br /> <br /> <br />through a wide valley in which pastures and meadows flank the brush- <br /> <br /> <br />bordered channel. Here the 'Rio Grande is a clear mountain stream which <br /> <br /> <br />averages 100 to 200 feet wide, is about 2 feet deep. and has a gradient <br /> <br /> <br />of 21 feet pe r mile. <br /> <br /> <br />10. In oontrast to the upstream mileage. 1'rom Wagon Wheel Gap <br /> <br /> <br />to the South Fork oonfluence the 1lio Grande 1'101O's through narrow <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />