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002352 CHAPrER III PROJECT DEVELOEMENl' (Yellow Jacket unit) . Yellow Jacket Unit The Yellow Jacket unit would provide irrigation water for 41,140 acres of land, including 36,900 acres of full service land and 4,240 acres of supplemental service land. The lands are situated in three rather distinct areas in the White and Yampa River Basins. The Yellow Jacket area located north and east of Meeker, Colo., includes the lands of the White River Basin drained by Little Beaver, Coal, and Curtis Creeks. The Josephine Basin area located south of Meeker and the White River, but also in the White River drainage, includes lands in Josephine Basin and lands sit~ted above and beyond the existine Miller ditch that diverts from the White River. The Axial Basin area located in the Yampa River drainage includes lands in Axial Basin above the water surface elevation of the potential Juniper Reservoir. . Besides providing irrigation water, the Yellow Jacket unit would incidentally benefit fish and wildlife conservation, recreation, and sediment control. In addition, if sites on the Yampa River should be developed for hydroelectric power production, excess diversions to the Yampll. drainage and return flow from the Axial Basin area could be utilized for the generation of electrical energy. The potential power development, however, is not included in the appraisal in this report. Uni t plan Water for the Yellow Jacket unit would be supplied principally from the White River and Milk Creek, a tributary of the Yampa River. Surplus flows of the White River would be regulated on the stream at Trappers Lake, a natural lake which would be converted into a regulatory storage reservoir by construction of an earth-fill dam. Water from the reservoir would be released to the river and would run in the natural stream channel for about 18 miles to the head of the potential Yellow Jacket Canal. Near its head this canal would receive water from a short feeder canal that would intercept the flows of Ute Creek, a White River tributary. . The Yellow Jacket Canal would convey water from the White River, including the diverted Ute Creek flows, to the Yellow Jacket area and then through YellOW Jacket Pass to the Milk Creek drainage. During the irrigation season releases would be made in the Yellow Jacket area to Little Beaver Creek, the land situated between Little Beaver and Coal Creeks. and to Coal Creek. Most of the water released to Little Beaver Creek would be diverted into the Josephine Basin Canal and conveyed to lands on the south side of the Little Beaver drainage and to lands in the Josephine Basin area. The remainder of the releases to Little Beaver Creek would be diverted for use on lands along the stream channel. Some of the water released to Coal Creek would be used on lands adjoining the stream and the remaining flows would be diverted into the Coal Creek Canal and conveyed to lands west of the stream. 55