WSP00390 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The soils are reddish-brown- to brown-colored, of medium texture with cobble occurring as shallow as 6 inches in some of the meadow areas. Most of the bench lands develop a fluctuating water table in the lower cobble zone. The water table approaches the surface in low-lying swales during periods of high runoff. The water tables are highly aerated and have a low salt content, making conditions highly favorable for the production of meadow hay and pasture which is the predominant use of these lands. The topography of the bench lands is characterized by smooth to undulating relief with moderate slopes (2 to 7 percent) and short to moderate irrigation runs (200 to 500 feet). The valley lands are made up of deeper materials derived from shales and sandstones of the Duchesne River and Uinta Formations. The soils are predominantly of medium texture and are brown to reddish-brown in color. The internal drainage is medium to moderately slow. Where the soils are adjacent to deep natural drainage channels, they are well-drained, low in soluble salts, and are highly suitable for cultivation under irrigation, Most of these soils are calcareous but have no distinct zone of lime accumulation. The deeper valley soils are reddish-brown in color and are typically stratified with coarse, medium, and fine-textured layers of varying thickness and arrangement. The well-drained lands nearest to deep natural drainage channels are potentially the most productive lands in the Uinta Basin, producing alfalfa, small grains, corn, and pasture. Much of the remaining area in the valleys is poorly drained and has salic and sodic problems. Irrigation practices together with canal and ditch seepage have contributed to waterlogging and the accumulation of salt in poorly drained soils of low-lying areas. The soils in the Ashley Valley area are derived mainly from alluvial material laid down by stream action and from residual materials derived from the weathering of the shale formations. Soils range in texture from sandy loam to clay, and vary in color from light-yellowish brown to light reddish-brown. Where drainage conditions are favorable, salinity and alkali problems are not significant. Vegetation Predominant native vegetation types within the study area include sagebrush, juniper, shrub-grass, greasewood, saltbush, and shadscale com- munities. Riparian (wetlands) vegetation is quite limited in the area, primarily being confined to the major river drainages, spring areas, and along canals and laterals where seepage provides increased soil moisture conditions. Sedges, rushes, Russian olive, cottonwood, willows, grasses, arid forbs are the more common species of vegetation in these riparian areas. The riparian vegetation adjacent to the canals and laterals in the study area covers approximately 2,000 acres and includes mainly canary grass, golden rod, wild lettuce, quack grass, sedges, willows, and Russian olive. t-": I I ,...: I~ ':., ...., \.: ..., \,.: A..... f 6