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<br />\i;\ l'l2-~\')'\: <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />SUMmers in the area are short and cool. Temperatures in the Steamboat <br />Springs area rarely reach ninety deqrees F. -For the Most part, the <br />sumner months are relatively uniform with af.ternoon thundershowers the <br />rule. <br /> <br />Water Quality <br /> <br />The quality of water producer! is extremely high. No problem areas have <br />been identified where water quality does not exceen rolorado State <br />standards. flue to the geology of the area, undisturbed streams are <br />normally clear, even durin~ the run-off period. Levels of suspen~ed <br />sediment and dissolved minerals are low year around. No significant <br />sources of human, agricultural or industrial pollution are kno.m to <br />exist in the Unit. <br /> <br />Water Yield <br /> <br />The Unit contains one of the highest yielding watersheds in Colorado. <br />The range is primarily composed of impervious met~orphic bedrock covered <br />by a thin layer of soil material. That fact makes the area extremely <br />efficient in converting precipitation to runoff. flue to the high snow- <br />fall amounts, these efficient watersheds yield an average of two acre- <br />feet of water per acre of land annually. T;1is compares to an average of <br />one acre-foot per acre for other mountainous lanc.s in Colorado. National <br />Forest land at the headwaters of the Yampa River contributes signifi- <br />cantly to water supply available for downstream use in the Yampa, Green <br />and COlorado River Basins. <br /> <br />Itater Uses <br /> <br />Currently, nearly all of the I~ater produced is used downstream, belo., <br />the Forest boundary, for ap,ricultural purposes. Ncar the Forest boundary, <br />some water is diverted from the streams to irrigate crops in the Ya"'pa <br />Valley. Although small amounts are removed for recreational purposes <br />(campgrounds, picnic grounds, etc.), the major National Forest use is <br />for instream purposes. Adequate instrea~ flows are needed for the <br />maintenance of fisheries, aquatic habitat, water quality, wildlife, and <br />aesthetic values. <br /> <br />The Fish Creek drainage serves as the municipal watershed for the rity <br />of Steamboat Springs. Fish rreek Reservoir and Long Lake store spring <br />run-off for municipal use. The water is released back into the channel <br />and diverted just above the Forest boundary. Currently, the ouality of <br />water nroduced is sufficient to allow its use without treatment, other <br />than chlorination. Although no regulations limit uses of the Fish Creek <br />watershed, it is primarily undisturbed. ~urgess Creek provides water to <br />the Mt. Werner I"ater District. <br /> <br />2 <br />