WSP04136

• File Number: 8276.551
• Description: Tongue Creek Watershed USDA Project - Colorado River Salinity Control Program
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 4
• Date: 5/11/1982
• Title: Application to Delta Soil Conservation District for Non-State Assistance
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Project Overview

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DRAFT 4/5/82

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Tongue Creek Watershed
Pre-Application Report

Introduction

The Tongue Creek Watershed provides opportunity for project action to

achieve water conservation and water quality objectives. A network of group

and private irrigation ditches convey water through permeable soils overly-

ing Mancos shale, a salt embedded marine formation. Seepage water contact-

ing the Mancos shale dissolves embedded salts as it finds its way back to

the natural stream system. Surface water diverted for irrigation has

salinity concentration less than 200 mg/l. Return flows have concentrations

ranging from 1300 to 6500 mg/l. Reducing ditch seepage and deep percolation
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from onfarm irrigation will augment the limited storage water used for late

season irrigation and will reduce the volume of salt carried to the Colorado

River through its local tributaries.

Setting

Location - Tongue Creek Watershed consists of about 131,200 acres of

forest land, range land and irrigated cropland located on the south slope of

the Grand Mesa in Delta County, Colorado. Primary crops are orchard, prin-

cipally apples, and hay and pasture for livestock. The rural communities of

Orchard City (population 1,914), Cedaredge (population 1,184), ,and the

~ckert and Austin Post Offices, are located in the watershed. Population,

1980 Census, for the Cedaredge Division is 5,074.

Climate - The mean annual temperature is about 510F and ranges from a

mean maximum temperature for July of 940F to a mean minimum for January of

140F. The average annual precipitation is 8 inches with about one half

being winter snow. The growing season averages 146 days. Elevation in the

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