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1. The Yampa River Basi n <br />The Yampa River basin occupies Colorado's northwest corner, rising at the Continental <br />Divide and ending at its confluence with the Green River, within miles of the Utah border. <br />The basin encompasses most of Routt and Moffat counties in Colorado, the upper reaches of <br />the Little Snake River basin in southern Wyoming, and a very small area of eastern Utah. <br />Figure 1.1 is a map of the basin. The Yampa River flows through forested mountains, rural <br />irrigated valleys, and desert canyons within Dinosaur National Monument. Many consider <br />the Yampa the least-impacted of Colorado's mighty rivers. <br />1.1. Physical geography <br />The Yampa River basin within Colorado is approximately 7,660 square miles in size, <br />ranging in elevation from 12,200 feet in the headwaters near the town of Yampa to 5,600 <br />feet in the vicinity of Dinosaur National Monument. Across this expanse, average annual <br />rainfall varies from more than 60 inches near Rabbit Ears Pass, to approximately 10 <br />inches near the State line. Temperatures generally vary inversely with elevation, and <br />variations in the growing season follow a similar trend. Steamboat Springs has an average <br />growing season of 86 days, while the growing season at Craig, Hayden, and Maybell has <br />been estimated at approximately 120 days. <br />The Yampa River is the primary stream in the basin. It begins at the confluence of the <br />Bear River and Chimney Creek, and other major tributaries include Walton Creek, Fish <br />Creek, Trout Creek, Elk River, Elkhead Creek, Fortification Creek, the Williams Fork <br />River, and the Little Snake River. Most of the water yield in the basin is attributable to <br />snowmelt from the higher elevation areas near the Continental Divide. Average annual <br />streamflow in the upper portions of the drainage (United States Geological Survey <br />[USGS] gage near Stagecoach Reservoir) is approximately 62,000 acre-feet, which <br />increases to an annual average of 1,623,000 acre-feet at the Dinosaur Monument (USGS <br />gage near Deerlodge Park). Over 60 percent of this runoff occurs in May and June. <br />1.2. Human and economic factors <br />The discovery of gold near Hahn's Peak in the 1860's first drew permanent white settlers <br />to the Yampa Valley. The mineral industry remains a key <br />economic sector although coal and related energy activities are of <br />greater importance than gold mining. Farming and ranching, as <br />swell as recreation and tourism, are the other primary activities in <br />the basin today. <br />The area remains relatively sparsely populated, with the 2000 <br />census placing the combined populations of Routt and Moffat <br />Counties at approximately 33,000. Steamboat Springs and Craig <br />are the maj or population <br />Yampa River in Steamboat Springs <br />Yampa River Basin Information i-i <br />