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<br />00 <br />0) <br />-t <br />C"z <br /> <br />IV. STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION <br /> <br />The Yellow Jacket Project is in northwestern Colorado near the town <br />of Meeker and lies in the c0unties of Rio Blanco and Moffat. Meeker <br />and Craig, Colorado are the main population centers concerned with the <br />Project. Rangely, Colorado, located 60 miles below Meeker on the White <br />River, is the only other community which could be associated in Project <br />activities. Meeker is on State Routes 13 and 789 midway between Rifle, <br />which is on U. S. Routes 24 and 6, and Craig, which is on U. S. Route 40. <br />These are the main year-around access routes to Meeker along with State <br />Route 64, which proceeds northwest to join U. S. Route 40. There is no <br />rail transportation; however, Meeker has facilities for small aircraft. <br /> <br />The Project lands are located in the Yampa and the White River <br />Basins. The lands in the Yampa Basin are semiarid and lie 20 miles north <br />of Meeker. This portion of the Project is primarily within the Milk <br />Creek watershed which parallels Colorado Highway 13 and 789. The portion <br />of the Project within the White River Basin is also semiarid and lies <br />east and south of Meeker. <br /> <br />Some of the Project area receiving irrigation water lies on broken <br />terrain where relatively flat areas are meshed with steep eroded valleys <br />or gulches. Other Project lands are on long gentle slopes between the <br />hills and the rivers. These lands are primarily suited for growing fodder <br />and grazing livestock. <br /> <br />Agriculture is one of the primary industries of the area along with <br />exploitation of subsurface energy-producing minerals. <br /> <br />The watershed varies in elevation from 7,000 to 12,000 feet. This <br />area is primarily tree covered and lies within Routt and White River National <br />Forests. The agricultural area in the White River area ranges in elevation <br />from 6,400 to 7,000 feet while the lands in the Milk Creek area vary from <br />6,200 to 6,800 feet. <br /> <br />Precipitation on the Project irrigation lands is about 16 inches a <br />year while the precipitation in the watershed areas ranges from 20 to 40 <br />inches a year. Temperature records at Meeker indicate 102 days a year <br />above freezing and a l32-day growing season for crops raised in the area. <br /> <br />-7- <br />