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• b. Hydrology <br />Drainage Basin Characteristics <br />Red Wash Basin, an intermittant stream at higher elevations, <br />has a drainage area of approximately 78,400 acres. Only a portion <br />of this area is associated with the mining facilities. <br />Channels draining the watershed form dendritic patterns, with <br />direction of flow towards the south-southwest. The characteristic <br />landscape of the area consists of rolling terrain covered with <br />sagebrush, grasses, and pinyon-juniper stands, incised by relative- <br />ly deep, narrow gullies. Slopes in the area average 13 percent. <br />Elevations within the drainage basin range from 5320 to 8450 feet <br />• above mean sea level {a difference of 3130 feet). <br />Because evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation in the lowlands <br />surrounding the mine permit area, perennial water sources in [he <br />general area are limited to a few small springs in the headwaters <br />of the basin. However, a number of stock-watering ponds have been <br />constructed within the watershed (see Map 11) for the purpose of <br />catching storm runoff for animal use until it is lost to seepage <br />or evapotranspiration. <br />Flow Characteristics <br />The potential average annual water yield from the drainage area <br /> has been estimated using Grunsky's Formula (Grunsky, 1908; <br />• Sellars, 1965). Estimation indicates that Red Wash could potentially <br />contribute an average of 2090 acre-feet to the White River. The <br />4/81 <br />II.D-7 <br />