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002789 QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF STREAMFLOW IN THE WHITE RIVER BASIN, COLORADO AND UTAH By Jeanne M. Boyle, Kenneth J. Covay, and Daniel P. Bauer ABSTRACT The water quality and flow of existing streams in the White River basin, located in northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah, are adequate for present uses, but future deve 1 opment (such as energy) may affect stream qua 1 i ty and quantity. Thi s paper descri bes present condi t ions as abase 1 i ne to enable planners to allocate available water and to measure changes in quantity and qual ity of water in the future. The White River basin contains extens i ve energy resources cons i st i ng of oi 1, natural gas, coal, and oi 1 sha 1 e. Large quanti ties of water wi 11 be requi red for energy-resource development and associated municipal and industrial uses. An average of 70 percent of the annual fl ow in the Whi te Ri ver occurs during May, June, and July as a result of snowmelt runoff. The annual flow in Piceance Creek, a tributary to the White River, has a more uniform distri- but i on throughout each year. The 7-day, 10-year 1 ow-fl ow di scharges per square mil e and the I-day, 25-year hi gh-fl ow di scharges per square mil e are 1 arger in the eastern part of the bas i n than in the western part. Flow- duration curves indicate that high flows in the White River and the North and South Fork White Rivers result mainly from snowmelt runoff and that base flow is sustained throughout the year by ground-water discharge from the alluvial and bedrock aquifers. Tributaries to the White River have high flows resulting from snowmelt runoff and thunderstorm activity. The base flow is sustained primarily by discharge from springs. I. Water type varies in the basin; however, calcium and sodium are the domi nant ly occurri ng cations and sulfate and bi carbonate are the domi nant ly occurring anions. Computed total annual dissolved-solids loads in the White River range from 31,800 tons per year in the North Fork White River to 284,000 tons per year at the mouth. These dissolved-solids loads were estimated using a relation with daily discharge but also can be estimated using a relation with specific conductance. Oil-shale development could change the dissolved-solids loads and concentrations in the basin. A 10-percent increase to a 14-percent decrease of the dissolved-solids load could result at the mouth of the Whi te Ri ver near Ouray, Utah. Thi s corresponds to a 5-percent increase to a 10-percent decrease in di sso 1 ved-so 1 ids concentration. The seasona 1 pattern of stream temperatures was found to fi t a harmoni c curve. I