WSP02811

• File Number: 8200.766
• Description: Gunnison River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Gunnison
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 1/1/1991
• Author: USGS
• Title: Reconnaissance Investigation of Water Quality-Bottom Sediment-and Biota Associated with Irrigation Drainage - Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basins and Sweitzer Lake - West Central Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

1982-87 exceeded the average annual mean stream discharge for water years
1939-88 for the Uncompahgre River at Delta (gaging station 09149500) (fig. 7).
A similar pattern occurred for the water years 1982-87 for the Gunnison River
near Grand Junction (gaging station 09152500). Water years 1983-85 had three
of the five largest annual stream discharges for the period of record for both
gaging stations.

750
700
5=!
CD
:J 650
U
Z 600
W
19 550
0:
<0:0
IZ 500
UO
(flU
-w 450
O(fl
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<L:W 400
Wo..
O:f-
f-W 350
(flw
ZLL
<0: 300
w
::< 250
...J
<0:
:J 200
Z
Z
<0: 150
100

- -
-
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-
/^~"~ ^"'"^' ~^' .~~""
- WATER YEARS 1939.88 -
-
- /
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- /
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-
I I I

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WATER YEAR

Figure 7.--Annual mean stream discharge at streamflow gaging station
09149500, Uncompahgre River at Delta, water years 1939-88.

Uncompahgre Project

The primary hydrologic features of the Uncompahgre Project are shown in
figure 3. These features include Taylor Park Reservoir, Gunnison Tunnel, and
the canals. There are many other smaller canals, laterals, and drains that
are part of the irrigation supply and drainage system. The extent of irri-
gated lands shown in figure 2 is about 187,880 acres, of which about 94,000
acres are actually irrigated. The Uncompahgre Project furnishes water to
about 86,000 acres (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 1984); the other 8,000 irri-
gated acres receive non-project water. An irrigated area of 94,000 acres
comprises about 21 percent of the Uncompahgre River drainage basin between
Colona and Delta.

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