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<br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />DESCRIPTION OF BASIN <br /> <br />~~ <br />~ <br />~ <br />~ <br /> <br />through the Upper Basin to Lee Ferry. The Green River. its major trib- <br />utary. rises in western Wyoming and discharges into the Colorado River <br />In southeastern Utah--730 river miles south of its origin and 220 miles <br />above Lee Ferry. The Green River drains 70 percent more area than the <br />Colorado River above their junction but produces only about three- <br />fourths as much water. The Gunnison and the San Juan are the other <br />principal tributaries of the Upper Colorado River. <br /> <br />The flows of the San Juan River are now controlled by the Navajo <br />Dam. the Green River by Fontenelle and Flaming Gorge Dams, and the Gunn- <br />ison River by the Curecanti Unit Dams. Glen Canyon Dam is the only <br />major dam on the main stem of the Colorado above Lee Ferry. but it will <br />permit control of almost all flows leaving the Upper Basin. <br /> <br />The flow at various points in streams in the Colorado River Basin <br />for the 1941-74 period is given in Tables I through 17. The records of <br />flow depict the characteristic wide fluctuations from month-to-month and <br />the considerable variation from year-to-year. The storage reservoirs now <br />level out some of the fluctuations in the reaches below the dam. <br /> <br />The natural drainage area of the lower Colorado River below Lee <br />Ferry and above Imperial Dam is about 75.100 square miles. This section <br />of the river is now largely controlled by a series of storage and diver- <br />sion dams starting with Hoover Dam and ending at Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />At the present time there is no significant storage on the main <br />river or on the tributaries between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake }1ead. The <br />intervening tributary inflow is erratic but amounts to almost enough to <br />offset the evaporation from Lake ~ead. <br /> <br />Lake Mead provides most of the storage and regulation in the Lower <br />Colorado River Basin with the water being stored for irrigation and <br />municipal and industrial uses, generation of electrical power, and other <br />beneficial uses. <br /> <br />Lake Mohave, the reservoir formed by Davis Dam, backs water at high <br />stages about 67 miles upstream to the tailrace of Hoover Powerplant. <br />Storage in Lake Mohave is used for some reregulation of releases from <br />Hoover Dam, for meeting treaty requirements with Mexico, and for devel- <br />oping power head for the production of electrical energy at Davis <br />Powerplant. <br /> <br />The river flows through a natural channel for about 10 miles below <br />Davis Dam at which point the river enters the broad Xohave Valley 33 <br />miles above the upper end of Lake Havasu. <br /> <br />Lake Havasu backs up behind Parker Dam for about 45 miles and cov- <br />ers about 25,000 acres. Lake Havasu serves as a forebay from which the <br />Xetropolitan Water District of Southern California pumps water into the <br /> <br />8 <br />