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<br />~ <br /> <br />te <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />!\ ~ '\ C. 'l 8 <br />~J U. ~-' .....! J ( <br /> <br />( <br /> <br />( <br /> <br />CHAPTER 2 - BASIN DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />3. DESCRIPTION OF nn: AREA <br /> <br />a. Muddy ~ek Basin lies in Western Colorado, in the North-central <br />portion of the Gunnison River Basin about 50 miles northeast from Delta, <br />Colorado, and drains approxillBtely 252 square miles of mountainous terrain <br />in Gunnison and Delta Counties. It novs generally south, and joins Anthra- <br />eite ~ek to fo= North ForI<. of Gunnison River. In this report, only North <br />Fork Basin is considered becsuse of the negU",ible effect of Paonia Reservoir <br />in redueing nood nows downstre8Jll :t'rcm 'the North Fork. Faonia I8m is lo- <br />cated on Muddy Creek, about 16 miles northeast of the town of Paonia (as . <br />shown on cl1art 1). <br /> <br />b. The drainage area above Faonia I8m ineludes praetic:ally all of Muddy <br />Creek Basin area (246 square mUes), two_thirds of \II1ich lies vithin the <br />Gunnison National Forest. Fast Muddy Creek and West Muddy Creek eombine <br />about 4.5 miles upstreBJD :t'ra1l the dam to form Muddy Creek. Most streams in <br />the drainage area flOW' generally south, and have rather steep upJler reaches. <br />The topogre.phy of the area is mostly steep and rugged. Elevations range :t'rom <br />about 12,800 feet in the higher mountains, along the eastern drainage divide, <br />to 6,290 feet at the streambed elevation at Paonia ram, as shown on chart 2. <br />The mean elevation of the drainage is about 9,000 feet. The so11 mntle <br />ranges :f'rOlll 15 to 30 inehes (there usually are no subsoils). The surface <br />grades into gray or brown soft sha.les vith a sharp line of eontact. Igneous <br />and sedimentary roeks are evident in the drainage area. !lagged Mountain to <br />the east is an intrusive granitoid mass that has been exposed by erosion. <br />Dikes appear throughout the area. The overlying f01'll&tion (Wasateh) is the <br />exposed formation throughout !IIOst of the drainage area. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />e. Belov Paonia ram to the mouth of North Fork Gunnison River there <br />are about 450 square miles of mostly mountainous terrain. This lIlountainous <br />area rises rather sharply both to the north and south :t'rom the narrov valley <br />floor area that parallels the North Fork Gunnison River. During the snov- <br />1IIt!1t season, this area as well as the Anthracite Creek area contributes <br />heavUy 1;0 the North Fork runoff. During the summer and early fall the area <br />on both sides of the valley is used mainly for sheep and cattle grazing. <br />Land use downstream in the valley of the Narth Fork Gunnison River is prinei_ <br />pally agrieultural, the DRin crops being livestock feed, grain, and fruit. <br />Coe.l is produeed at Oliver, four mUes dO\lllstream from Paonia ram. The <br />valley developnent includes the small t01oll1s of Paonia, Hotehkiss Oliver <br />, , <br />Bov1e, and Somerset shovn on ehart 1. <br /> <br />:5 <br />