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7 <br />HYDROLOGIC SETTING <br />The Fish Creek Underground Mine is located in the Green River portion <br />of the Upper Colorado River Basin. The major watershed in the immediate <br />area is Trout Creek which has three major tributaries - Fish Creek, Foidel <br />w Creek, and Middle Creek. Foidel Creek is actually tributary to Middle <br />Creek which is in turn tributary to Trout Creek. Portions of all three of <br />these tributaries pass over the area to 6e mined. Trout Creek eventually <br />drains into the Yampa River near Milner, Colorado, in Routt County. <br />WATERSHED AND CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS <br /> The data and analysis in this section are limited to the three major <br /> Trout Creek tributaries. Additional data on Trout Creek, upstream of the <br /> confluence of these tributaries, is presented in two additional reports, <br /> (WWLL,1981a, 1981b). To facilitate the hydrologic analysis each of the <br /> major watersheds was divided into sub-basins which are shown on Exhibit 3. <br /> Fish Creek is the largest of the three tributaries to be discussed <br /> and its headwaters are located in the higher elevations of the Dunckley <br /> Flat Tops in Routt National Forest. A small portion of the upper watershed <br /> is located in Rio Blanco County with the majority of the drainage basin in <br /> Routt County. Approximately one-third of the watershed can be characterized <br /> as high mountain streams with relatively straight, steep channels. Most <br /> of the sub-drainages in this upper portion of the watershed have a relatively <br /> long, narrow shape. Much of the remainder of the watershed drains high <br /> mountain park areas. Much of the Fish Creek mine will underly one such <br />~~ area known as Twentymile Park. In these areas Fish Creek exhibits substan- <br /> tial meander and has a fairly mild slope. The sub-basins are generally <br />~' shorter and wider. Several physical characteristics of the sub-basins <br /> within the Fish Creek watershed are presented in Table 1. <br /> The Foidel and Middle Creek watersheds are much smaller than the Fish <br /> Creek watershed. These watersheds are principally in the lower elevations <br /> and exhibit relatively narrow drainage basins. Channel slopes vary through- <br /> out the basin but, in general, are not as steep as those found near the <br /> <br />. headwaters of Fish Creek. Portions of these drainage basins also exhibit <br />some minor meander. Some physical characteristics of the Foidel and Middle <br /> Creek watersheds are presented in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. <br /> <br /> <br />