WSP05440

• File Number: 8102
• Description: Arkansas River Basin Basic Hydrology
• State: CO
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 12/1/1948
• Author: Corps of Engineers
• Title: Drainage Area Data Arkansas and White River Basins
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Data

OUTLINJ!: OF PROCEDUBE FOR DETERMINATION OF
WHIm RIVER BASIN DRAINAGE AREAS

1. Establishment of watershed boundaries.

a.

Tentative watershed boundaries were sketohed on Corps of Engineers and
Departmant of Agriculture photographic indexes by inspection and by
reference to the beet Q,vallable lllll:ps. Reference was made to the White
River Valley Survey, Cotter to Bateeville, Arlranaae, and to s:lIn1lar
Corps of Engineer.s' mapa of reservoir areas, as well as to the MiSSissippi
River Commission quadrangles, U.S.G.S. quadrangle maps, and oounty mps.

".

b.

Full size "-,,rial photographs ,~overj,ng the tentative watershed bOUndary
were examined ster.eoscopioally to determine the definite location of the
boun<1~.ry .

c.

Concurrently w:l,th the stereoscopic examination, the tentative watershed
boundary prevlous~y sketched on the mosaic index was adJueted as re-
quired to represent the final watershed boundary.

2 . Breakdown of Areas.

Watereheds were determined, as indicated in paragraph 1 above, for
the main stem of the White River, from its mouth to its source, and
for major and minor trib'dtariee and their tributaries or subareas
for dam sites, gaging stations, etc.

3. Determination of Drainage Areas.

a. Quadrilaterals of I-minute latitude and longitude 'Were plotted on the
aerial mosaio along the previollsl,y determined watershed boundaries.

b. Base mps, each consisting of a 60 by 6o-minute projection were pre-
pared for transfer of watershed boundaries from the aerial mosaio.
The projections, scale 1:125,000,were divided into 5-minute quadri-
laterals and further subdivided into l-minute quadrilaterals.

c. The limiting boundaries of all drainage areas and subareas were trans-
feITed from the aerial moeaios to the 1:125,000 base me.ps in prepara-
tion for the computation of drainage area values.

d. Values of each I-minute quadrilateral were determined mathematically
by reference to publiShed tables of latitude and longitude values.
Along watershed bOllndaries the percentage of a quadrilateral within
a particlllar drainage area was determined by use of a planimeter.
This percentage applied against the mathematical vallle of the entire
quadrilateral f1.U'Ilished the desired figure for uee in co:mpilatlon of
the over-all value for the area or subarea.

D