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<br /> <br />e <br />-"0 .., <br />'j .' <br /> <br />U~ <br />'""", <br />~. <br /> <br />The conclusions reached on this area were: <br /> <br />"Forests do not conserve the water supply because alter their re- <br />moval there was an increase in average annual yield amounting to 15%. II <br /> <br />Mr. Ed. Munns, in charge of experimental work for the Forest Service, <br />estimates that man's activities in the National Forests to date have in- <br />creased the runoff from those areas 5 percent. <br /> <br />ESTIMATED INCREASED RUNOFFS IN THE FOREST AREAS <br />OF THE UPPER BASIN DUE TO MAN'S ACTIVITY <br /> <br />The Forest Service maps show there is an area of approximately 2Z,190 <br />square miles in National Forests and ParIes in the Upper Basin, which <br />is divided between the states as follows: <br /> <br />State <br /> <br />Square Miles <br /> <br />Colorado <br />New Mexico <br />Wyoming <br />Utah <br />Arizona <br /> <br />14,376 <br />90 <br />2,104 <br />5, 595 <br />25 <br /> <br />Total <br /> <br />22,190 <br /> <br />The area and mean elevation were determined for all the National <br />Forests in the Basin and in order to determine the runoff from these <br />areas,the mean elevation and the average runoff per square mile for <br />a large number of stations for years 1914 to 1947 were plotted. Three <br />curves :were drawn on this exhibit--one representing the lUnoff per <br />squaJ:'e !mile for areas in Utah, . Wyoming and Northern Colorado, one <br />representing the runoff per square mile in CentJ:'al Colorado areas, <br />and one' representing the runoff per square mUe for areas in Southern <br />Colorado. <br /> <br />The runoff per square mUe for each of the forest areas was determined <br />from these curves and total runoff of forest and range lands was adjusted <br />to fit the recorded runoff from the states. <br /> <br />The increase in runoff caused by man from the National Forest areas <br />for the States of the Upper Basin has been estimated and is shown as follows: <br /> <br />Colorado <br /> <br />NatiOnal Forest Area- 14,376 sq. mi. <br />Average Elevation - 9,679 feE!t above sea level <br />Total runoff from National Forest area - 8, 250, 000 acrE! feet <br /> <br />-6- <br />