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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />..... <br />-J <br />A <br />t;.J, <br /> <br />The Sad Juan division comprises the entire San Juan River drainage basin, <br />which e~pties into Lake Powell. The major tributary is the Animas River. <br />Chaco Wash and Chinle Wash drain large areas of arid New Mexico and <br />Arizona but contribute little flow. The San Juan division contains about <br />1/4 of the total area of the basin, and contributes 15 percent of the <br />total flow and 12 percent of the total load. <br /> <br /> <br />The remainder of the basin is comprised of the Colorado River drainage <br />below the confluence of the Green River. Tributaries include the San <br />Rafael,' Dirty Devil, and Paria Rivers. This area is warm and arid, aad <br />contributes only a small amount of saline flow. <br /> <br />Long-term mean flow and concentration at several stations are shown in <br />Figure 2. <br /> <br />Effects Of Reservoirs <br /> <br />The construction of Glen Canyon Dam has greatly altered the seasonal <br />cycle of flow and concentration of the river at Lees Ferry (Figure 3). <br />The period of record was separated into a pre-reservoir period (1926 to <br />1962), a filling period (1966 to 1980), and a post-reservoir period (1981 <br />to 1983). <br /> <br />The pre~reservoir period was characterized by a snowmelt runoff cycle <br />June flows averaged 3.0 Maf, 1.25 Mtons, and 303 mg/l; January flows <br />averaged .32 Maf, .48 Mtons, and 1098 mg/l. The annual mean was 11.8 <br />Maf, 8.]5 Mtons,and 544 mg/l. An increasing trend in dissolved-solids <br />concentration was noted, at the rate of 39 mg/l per year. When linearly <br />extrapolated, this corresponds to a rise from 4]3 mg/l in 1926 to 616 <br />mg/1 in 1962. <br /> <br /> <br />The filling period was characterized by overall reduced flow and a strong <br />decrease in seasonal variability. Mean monthly flows ranged from .35 <br />to.9 Maf, and concentration from 510 to 639 mg/l. Monthly discharge was <br />mainly a function of electrical power demand, with the highest releases <br />occurriag in late summer and winter. Dissolved-solids concentration was <br />greatest when the lake was at its lowest level. The annual mean was 8.]5 <br />Maf, 6.7 Mtons, and 564 mg/l. Although this represents a significant <br />decrease of 3 Maf compared to the pre-reservoir period, mean <br />concentration was not significantly different. <br /> <br />Preliminary analysis indicates a slight reduction in the concentration of <br />calcium and carbonate equivalent during the IS-year filling period, of <br />about l'mg/1 per year. <br /> <br /> <br />The post-reservoir period is not long enough to show any significant <br />trends, and more time will be required before any definitive conclusions <br />may be drawn. <br /> <br />Although Flaming Gorge Reservoir has altered the seasonal flows of th~ <br />Green River, the annual flow and salt load have changed only slightly. <br />(This a~nual change may be an artifact of the short record available for <br />the pre~reservoir period). For the 6-year pre-reservoir period, monthly <br /> <br />, <br />"^ :,/ <br /> <br />it <br /> <br />i.. <br /> <br />, ""' '",,"'" 0/.' <br /> <br />t <br />,":}: <br />",1, <br />i;'!i",""~--~~ ,,~~.:3~ij <br />