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2.04.7 Hydrology Description <br />(2) Surface Water <br />(a and b) <br />The project area is located in the Colorado River Basin. This is the <br />second largest basin in Colorado encompassing more than 18,160 square <br />miles and 19,340 miles of streams. The quantity of flows through the <br />basin is greater than the combined flows of all the other basins in the <br />state. <br />The permit and adjacent area lies north of the Grand Valley in the rugged <br />terrain drained by two large perennial drainage areas, East Salt Creek to <br />the west and Big Salt Wash to the east. East Salt Creek and Big Salt <br />Wash flow generally south to the Colorado River, a distance of about 20 <br />miles. Ephemeral channels throughout the area flow only in direct <br />response to precipitation in the immediate watershed or in response to the <br />melting of a cover of snow or ice. <br />The Big Salt Wash basin has a drainage area of approximately 142 <br />square miles. The sustained flow for this stream comes from groundwater <br />and snowmelt in the upper basin and from irrigation return flow below the <br />Highline Canal. There are two reservoirs along Big Salt Wash. Echo <br />Lake is located high in the Big Salt Wash drainage basin to store and <br />regulate snowmelt run-off. Ruby Lee Reservoir is located in the lower <br />section of the drainage basin and its use is for irrigation. Downstream of <br />the irrigation diversions Big Salt Wash is frequently dry. <br />The East Salt Creek basin has a drainage area of approximately 197 <br />square miles. The sustained flow for this stream comes from groundwater <br />and snowmelt in the upper basin and from irrigation return flow below the <br />Highline Canal. There are numerous stock ponds along East Salt Creek <br />that intercept flow but there are no reservoirs. <br />PR -02 2.04-24 03/13 <br />