WSP04694

• File Number: 8281.400
• Description: Colorado River Studies and Investigations -- Colorado River Depletion Projections
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 6/1/1965
• Author: C. Jex Engineers
• Title: Report on Water Runoff and Stream Depletion of the Main Stem Colorado River Basin in Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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LITTLE DOLORES RIVER AND COATES CREEK SUBBASIN

Locati'on and Description
The Little Dolores River and Coates Creek both head
in Colorado. The two streams cross the Colorado-Utah State
line apd discharge separately into the Colorado River in Utah.
The watershed is located on both sides of the State line south
of the Colorado River and north of the Dolores River. The
upper portion of the watershed and the land used for irrigation
is located in Colorado.
The section of the subbasin located in Colorado con-
tains 160,000 acres or 250 square ~iles, all in Mesa County.
The watershed heads at an altitude of 9,500 feet with the State
line located at an elevation of about 5,400 feet. The 1960
population of the subbasin was 140, and the number of operating
ranch units was 30.
Water Supply
Water runoff infor~ation on the Little Dolores River
or Coates Creek is unavailable. Estiaates of the coabined
discharge of the two strean,s based on the water yield of
other "comparable strean;s indicate the discharge of the two
at the, State line would average about 15,000 acre feet per
year for the 18 year study period. The capacity of water-
shed reservoirs is about 1,500 acre feet. The water annually
consumed in the two basins is estimated to be 3,000 acre feet,
and the undepleted water yield of the two streams is surnn;ar-
ized in the following table:

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