Laserfiche WebLink
<br />OJJ076 <br /> <br />National Wild and Scenic Rivers <br />Recreation, written commun., <br />reconnaissance survey described <br />water hydrologic information <br />Dinosaur National monument. <br /> <br />System (H. J. Belisle, U.S, Bureau of Outdoor <br />1976; U.S. National Park Service, 1977). The <br />here was undertaken to obtain basic surface- <br />during low flow for the lower Yampa River in <br /> <br />Ground-water resources of Dinosaur National monument have been studied <br />previously by Sumsion (1976). He found that all water used for public supply <br />within the monument is from wells, and that most of the ground water is <br />obtained from limestone and sandstone formations, ,such as~theMorgan Formation <br />and the Weber Sandstone (fig, 2), which yield a maximum of 0.6 to 1.3 m3/s <br />(cubic meters per second) to springs and wells in the monument. Alluvium <br />along the major stream channels is the source of small amounts of water to <br />wells, but some of this water is not of suitable chemical quality for public <br />supply (Sumsion, 1976). Most of the ground water obtained from the limestone <br />and sandstone aquifers is suitable for publ ic supply. <br /> <br />Surface-water resources of Dinosaur National monument were evaluated with <br />respect to quantity by Sums ion (1976); however, the study reported here is the <br />only known work that includes an assessment of surface-water quality in the <br />monument. <br /> <br />HYDROLOGIC RECONNAISSANCE <br /> <br />The hydrologic reconnaissance was conducted during August 1976 by R. C. <br />Averett, R. E. Brogden, J. F. Gibbs, R. J. Pickering, T. D. Steele, and D. A. <br />Wentz, of the U.S. Geological Survey. Transportation, guides, and supplies <br />were provided by Adventure Bound, Inc. Permission to make the float trip on <br />the lower Yampa River was granted by C. D, Lewis, Jr., Superintendent, <br />Dinosaur National monument, and is gratefully acknowledged. <br /> <br />The reconnaissance began on August 17, 1976, at Deerlodge Park and ended <br />on August 19 at Echo Park, where the Yampa River enters the Green River <br />(fig. 1). The length of the study reach was approximately 74 river <br />kilometers, and altitudes of the sampling sites ranged from about 1,710 m <br />(meters) at the most upstream site to 1,540 m at the most downstream site <br />(U,S. Geological Survey, 1966). River positions were determined from <br />topographic and river-profile maps (U.S. Geological Survey, 1922; 1966). The <br />stream generally consisted of a pool-and-riffle regime, with pools often <br />exceeding 2 km (kilometers) in length. The reconnaissance was completed by <br />rubber rafts, and, in numerous areas, the rafts had to be pulled over the <br />shallow riffles. Stream-bottom materials varied from large boulders and <br />cobbles to fine, shifting sands and silts. <br /> <br />The two dominant geologic formations forming the canyon walls of the <br />lower Yampa River in Dinosaur National monument are the Morgan Formation and <br />the Weber Sandstone (fig. 2)" which are both of Pennsylvanian age. The Morgan <br />Formation is a 30- to 460-m thick I imestone interbedded with shales and <br />sandstones. The Weber Sandstone is an approx,imately 300-m thick fine-grained <br /> <br />3 <br />