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

,"~, <: ., "i 1
U',?.-'. . Li
tu 1.000,000
w
"- 900,000
Li.J
a:
u 800,000
<0:
~ 700,000
w'
OJ
a: 600,000
<0:
J:
U 500,000
Ul
is
:;; 400,000
<0:
w 300,000
a:
f-
Ul
-' 200,000
<0:
:0
Z 100,000
Z
<0:
0

..

.

..
.

,.

,.

2

f- 1,000,000
w IZ1 Site 3A (Sites 1 and 2)
w 900.000
"- . Site 3A to Site 3
Li.J
a: 800,000 . Site 3 to Site 4
U
<0: IS! Site 4 to Site 5
~ 700,000 o Site 5 to Site 6
vi 600,000
Ul
0
-' 500,000
Z
<( 400,000
OJ
:;; 300,000
<0:
w
a:
f- 200,000
Ul
-' 100,000
<0:
:0
Z 0
z
<0:

Maximum

......

..'

....
JI,...,..........

Average

'f-_ _....-----..,.....----.:
-__......__- MinImum

3A

4

5

6

3
SITE

-100,000 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988
WATER YEAR

Figure 5. Average and range of annual stream discharge for the North Fork (site 1), the South Fork (site 2), and the
main stem of the White River (sites 3A-6), water years 1975-88, and annual stream discharge gain-loss for segments
of the White River between sites.

I.

Flow-duration curves for station 09304500 and
sites 1,2, and 4 for water years 1975-88 are compared
with the long-term (water years 1910-88) flow-duration
curve for station 09304500 (fig. 6). A comparison of
the short- and long-term flow-duration curves for
station 09304500 indicates that high stream discharges
in the White River during water years 1975-88 were
slightly greater than the long-term average, and low
stream discharges were slightly less than the long-term
average. The convergence of the flow-duration curve
for site I with the curves for station 09304500 and
site 4 in low flows (less than 100 ft3/S) indicates that
stream discharge from the North Fork is the principal

source of water in the White River during very dry peri-
ods. The decreases in daily streamflow that occur
along the flow-duration curves at percentage of time
values greater than 95 percent for station 09304500 and
site 4 probably were caused by streamflow depletions
resulting from irrigation diversions. Streamflow deple-
tions from proposed reservoirs also would affect flow-
duration values in the White River and are discussed in
Kuhn and Ellis (1984).

Annual stream discharges from sites I and 2 for
water years 1952-88 (Hutchison, 1975) were summed
(site 3A), and a regression was made with period-of-
record for water-content measurements of snowpack at

INTRODUCTION 9