WSP06130 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

onZ311 CHAPl'ER II ;" \. BASES FOR ANALYSIS . Water Supply Period of study The water supply studies for units of the Yampa-White project yere based on streamflows over the l5-year period from 1929 through 1943. Streamf'lows available during this period are considered a conservative base for estimates of future supplies as the period includes 1934, the driest individual year on record, as well as,the critical la-year dry cycle from 1934 to 1943. The use of a longer period of study would not materially affect the plans nor economic feasibility of the various units. Probably the only noticeable effect would be a slight red1lction in the average irrigation shortage estimated for each unit. Stream runoff records and estimates . The first streamflow records for the area, other than miscellaneous measurements, were made for the Yampa River at Craig in May 1901. Since then records have been obtained at about 55 different stations, the records varying from nearly continuous periods at a few key stations to intermit- tent periods of 1 or 2 years at other stations. tJ'Dst of the runoff rec- ords used in this study were collected and compiled by the Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior. The locations of the gaging stations and periods for which records were made at these stations are shown on the map on the following page. Runoff records over the entire study period are available for only a few of the Yampa-White project units. As a result, numerous extensions and estimates of runoff were required. At places where the available records were for shorter or different periods than the study period, the runoff was estimated by graphical correlations with recorded runoff at other stations. At other points, it was necessary to rely only upon alti- tude-runoff relationships for similar streams in the general area. The records thus obtained are sufficiently accurate for the purposes of this report but should not be relied upon for detailed planning. The graph on page 16 shows the runoff recorded since the early 1900' s at two of the stations of particular significance in the Yampa-White proj- ect studies--the Yampa River at Steamboat Springs, Colo., and the White River near Meeker, Colo. Plotted on the graph are lines representing aver- age flows over the 45-year period (1910-54), the lO-year period for maxi- mum runoff (1920-29), the 10-year period of minimum runoff (1934-43), and the 15-year study period (1929-43). Ground water . Ground-water aquifers suitable for irrigation development are uncommon in the project area. Artesian wells were developed in connection with recent gas well drilling in the Piceance Creek drainage and appeared to 14