WSP08184

• File Number: 8200.765
• Description: White River General
• State: CO
• Basin: Yampa/White
• Water Division: 6
• Date: 11/1/1966
• Author: USFS
• Title: Water and Related Land Resources - White River Basin in Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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The Basin has three main centers of population; Meeker and Rangely in
Rio Blanco County and Artesia (changed to Dinosaur in 1964) in Moffat
County. The 1960 population of these towns totaled 3,437 or about 62
percent of the total. The towns have continued to grow. In January
1964 Meeker had an estimated population of l,660, Range1y 1,600 and
Artesia 350 making a total urban population of 3,610.

Land Ownership

About 21 percent of the land in the White River Basin is privately owned
(table 2). Seventy-seven percent is owned by the Federal government,
and about 2 percent by the State of Colorado and local government units.
Details of the land ownership pattern are shown on the Land Ownership
Map following page 6. A graphic presentation of distribution of land
ownership is given on the Land Resource Frontispiece.

Table 2.--Land ownership by counties, White River Basin in Colorado, 1964

County

State lands Federal lands
:Bureau of :
:Co10. Game, :State and Land :Nationa1
Private:Fish & Parks:10cal gov't:Management: Forest
land Commission land 11 JJ
Acres Acres ~ ~ Acres

Total
Acres
248,400

335,300

1,853,~00

2,437,000

100.0

Garfield 16,900 0 0 96,900 134,600
Moffat 92,700 0 20,500 222,100 0
Rio Blanco 390,500 37,500 600 1,204,900 219 ,800
Total 500 ,100 37,500 21,100 l,523,900 354,400
Percent 20.5 1.5 .9 62.5 14.6
JJ Bureau of Reclamation and other withdrawal lands included.
Source: USDA Field Party

The 500,100 acres of private land is generally confined to irrigated and
dry farmland and adjacent rangelands. However, there were approximately
35,000 acres of private land that were assessed as oil or oil-shale lands
in 1964. In the Piceance Creek area, a major portion of the private land
is now owned by large oil companies or their subsidiaries. In the Upper
White River Basin non-resident ownership is increasing. Most of this area
is used for recreation or summer living. The Colorado Game, Fish and
Parks Commission owns 37,500 acres, mostly in the drainage areas of Big
Beaver, Piceance, Yellow and Douglas Creeks.

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