WSP06552

• File Number: 8271.200
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - Development and History - UCRB 13a Assessment
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 10/1/1978
• Title: Upper Colorado River Region Section 13a Assessment - Report to the US Water Resources Council - Interim Report - Part 1 of 2 - Title Page through A-18
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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~ Present Ambient Water Quality in Subbasins Likely to be Influenced by
to Emerging Energy Technology Development
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The subbasins likely to be affected by EET development have been
chosen using the disaggregation (by study subunits) of DOE projections
of coal gasification and oil shale development (see chapter 6). Sub-
basins and their problem parameters are discussed oelow. To put the
various water quality readings in a bit of perspective, the following
mean annual discharge for periods of record are given from USGS 1975
records.

Station

Mean
discharge (AF/yr)

Period
of record (yrs)

.

White R. nr.Meeker, CO

White R. nr Watson, UT

Yampa R. nr Maybell, CO

San Juan R. at 8hiprock, NM*

San Juan R. nr Archuleta, NM**

Colorado R. nr CO/ur State line

Green R. nr Greendale, UT

Green R. nr LaBarge, WY***

Green R. at Green R., UT

Colorado R. at.Lees Ferry, AZ

451,400
510,000
1,129,000
1,596,000
1,091,000
4,236,000
1,484,000
1,195,000
4,612,000
12,923,000

71
52

59
50

24
25
27
76
51 (1911-1962)

*from 1976 records
**1975 water year data only
***from 1973 records

White River, Colorado

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Problem parameters identified on the White River and its tributaries
in Colorado are TSS, TDS, SO 4' Fe, Zn, N, and P. Data are available for
TDS, T8S, and S04' Total dissolved solids show a mean value of 261 mg/
liter for a 4-year period of record at Meeker (Tables 3.3 and 3.4). As
expected, TDS decreases during high flow period of record April I-June
30 to a mean of 124 mg/liter and increases for the low flow period of
record to a mean of 351 mg/liter. TSS would show an inverse relation-
ship about a mean of less than 551 mg/liter if the data were more complete
(only 2 observations in the high flow period). S04 presents the same
relationship to high and low flow periods as TDS (i.e., greater flows
dilute and show lower 804 values, while smaller flows concentrate and
show higher S04 values) about a mean of 78 mg/liter. well under the
Colorado criteria for water supplies of 250 mg/liter. Data for the
Meeker station generally show only a few data points, for a short period
of record (Table 3.3). Other, more detailed water quality monitoring
data for Piceance and Yellow Creeks in this drainage, recently and
presently being compiled by USGS, are not available for this analysis.

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