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co ~ N PROJECT WATER SUPPLY Project stre~ and Watershed Rifle Creek is the source of project water supply. Main Rifle Creek is former! a short distance above the Grand Hogback by the three tributaries, East Rifle Creek, Middle Rifle Creek and West Rifle Creek. The tributary streams drain from the south rim of the White River Plateau which rises to art elevation of 10,000 feet and forms the divide between White' River and Colorado River drainage. The divide rises prog- ressively higher from west to ~ast making the watershed of East Rifle Creek much higher than the Middle or the West Rifle Creek watersheds. After cutting through the hard, !Wre resistant rock of the Grand Hogback, Rifle Creek flows south to join the Colorado River at the city of Rifle. One small perennial stream, Government Creek, joins Rifle Creek below the Grand Hogback. As its confluence is below the Rifle Gap dam site the run-off of Government Creek is not considered in project we.ter supply studies except as it assists in supplying lower river irri- gation rights that would otherwise require the release of water from the project reservoir. The run-off of Rifle Creek at the Rifle Gap dam site, under present i condition of upstream depletions, averaged 19,211 acre-feet per year for the period 1940-1944. The watershed area i5 140 square miles. studies ~, ! ~, I have not been compiled to show undepleted stream run-off as ditch diversion estimates would be required on which very little information is available. The watershed of East Rifle Creek as stated above is much higher than that of either Middle or'.'[est Rifle Creeks and is a much heavier producer of water. The run-off of East Rifle Creek at the Grass Vll11ey Canal intake L.