WSP07706

• File Number: 8200.765
• Description: White River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Water Division: 6
• Date: 1/1/1993
• Author: USGS
• Title: Sediment Transport and Water-Quality Characteristics and Loads - White River - Northwestern Colorado - Water Years 1975 through 1988
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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, ,000,000
900,000
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400.000
300,000
200,000
100,000

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SITE 5

. MEASURED VALUE
o CALCULATED VALUE: sum of Qa at site 4
and gaging station 09306222

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800,000

. MEASURED VALUE

o CALCULATED VALUE: sum of Qa at site 4
and gaging stations 09306222 and 09306255

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400.000
300.000
200.000
100,000
o
o 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 900,000 1,000,000
ANNUAL STREAM DISCHARGE 10,) AT SITE 4, IN ACRE-FEET

700,000

600.000

500,000

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SITE 6

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Figure 4. Correlation of calculated (water years 1975-88) and measured (water years 1983-88) annual stream
discharge at site 5 and calculated (water years 1975-82) and measured (water years 1983-88) annual stream
discharge at site 6 with measured annual stream discharge at site 4.

Statistical summaries for annual stream dis-
charge at sites 1-6 and for the combined stream dis-
charges of sites 1 and 2 (site 3A) are shown in figure 5;
discharge data for sites 1-6 and stations 09306222,
09306255, and 09306300 are listed in table 2. The
combined discharges (site 3A) of the North Fork
(site 1) and South Fork (site 2) accounted for about
78 percent of the stream discharge of the White River
upstream from site 6. The relation of annual stream-
discharge contributions from subbasins (defined as the
drainage area between sites) to annual stream discharge
in the White River also are shown in figure 5. Stream-
discharge losses that occurred between site 3A and site
3 were caused by streamflow diversions upstream from
site 3 for irrigation of croplands in the Meeker area.
Undetennined quantities of irrigation return flow con-
tributed, in parl, to the stream discharge measured at
site 4.

Annual streamflow contributions to the White
River from the semiarid tributary basins between
sites 4 and 6 were small compared with the combined

8 Sediment Tronsport ond Woter-QuoUly Chorocterlstlcs ond Loods, Whlto River, Northwestern Colorodo, Wotor Veors
1975.88

streamflows of the North Fork and South Fork Basins.
An exception to the pattern occurred in 1984 when
about 200,000 acre-ft of water entered the White River
downstream from site 4 from Piceance Basin and other
semiarid basins. The large runoff was a combination of
low-elevation snowmelt and a regional spring rain-
storm.
Annual stream discharge in most of the main
stem of the White River ranged from about 200,000
acre-ft at sites 3A, 4, 5, and 6 during years of small run-
off to almost 1 million acre- ft at sites 5 and 6 during
years of large runoff. The average annual stream dis-
charge at site 6 for water years 1975-88 was about
577 ,000 acre-ft. Record maximum and minimum daily
stream discharges occurred in the White River during
water years 1975-88. Based on streamflow records for
78 continuous years (1910-88) at station 09304500,
daily discharge at this station near Meeker ranged from
78 ft3/s in 1977 to 6,320 ft3/s in 1984 (U.S. Geological
Survey, 1987-89).