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<br />i CRAPTERTHREE affected Environment <br />generally carry water only after precipitation events and during snowmelt, although water may <br />remain in some sections for several days after a significant storm. No flow data are available for <br />the intermittent streams. These intermittent channels aze chazacterized as having unvegetated <br />' channel bottoms, with substrates composed of gravels, cobbles and fines. Portions of some <br />intermittent drainages have incised channels with banks as high as five feet (Steigers 1998a). <br />• Water Quality. The quality of water in the mainstream Piceance Creek is protected for <br />designated uses in accordance with the Colorado Water Quality Standazds (5 CCR 1002-8 and <br />37; Region 11, Stream Segment 15). The creek is designated as: <br />• Class 2 -Warm Water Aquatic Life -waters that aze not capable of sustaining a wide vaziety <br />of warm water biota due to physical habitat, water flows or uncoaectable water quality <br />conditions <br />' • Class 2 -Secondary Contact Recreation -waters that aze suitable or intended to become <br />suitable for recreational uses on or about the water, including fishing and other streaznside <br />recreation <br />• Agriculture -waters that aze suitable or intended to become suitable for irrigation of crops <br />and that aze not hazardous as drinking water for livestock <br />Surface water in the Piceance Creek drainage basin is described as mixed bicazbonate in the <br />upper portions of the drainage basin and sodium bicazbonate in the lower portions. Chemical <br />components found in Piceance Creek surface waters aze attributed to the weathering of surficial <br />materials in the area. The principal ionic constituents in Piceance Creek include sodium, <br />calcium, magnesium, bicazbonate, sulfate, chloride, potassium, and fluoride. Sodium, <br />' bicarbonate, and sulfate levels generally decrease during the spring snowmelt runoff because of <br />the increased amount of water, while chloride and fluoride remain essentially constant. Calcium <br />and magnesium concentrations show small decreases, and potassium increases during the <br />snowmelt. During the irrigation season (July), sodium becomes concentrated, and calcittm and <br />magnesium concentrations increase. In later summer and fall, Piceance Creek flow is controlled <br />primarily by groundwater dischazge, which causes the water to be high in dissolved solids and to <br />have decreased sediment loads. <br />Sediment yield from Piceance Creek is high due to runoff from localized thunderstorms in the <br />' sununer and fall cazrying high sediment loads from the tributaries. Sediment sources aze the <br />Uinta Formation (sandstones and silts) extending from Rio Blanco and the valley alluvium <br />(LJSGS 1996). Sparsely covered slopes consist of loose material that is highly erodible. Extreme <br />sediment load for the period of record 1970-1997 neaz the confluence with the White River <br />varies from a daily minimum of 0.10 tons (June 1978) to a maximum of 6,095 ton (May 1983). <br />Extreme sediment concentration in the water varies from a minimum of 4 mg/1(October 1977) to <br />a maximum of 25,000 mg/1 (September 1978) (USGS 1997.) <br />The USGS has periodically monitored water quality at the three gaging stations since 1970. <br />Table 3.3-1 presents the recorded data for Water Year 1997. <br />Water Use. According to the Colorado Division of Water Resources (1998), there aze seven <br />water right holdings along Piceance Creek adjacent to the Piceance Site (Tl S, R97W, Sections <br />1 d to 22 and 28 to 29). The recorded water uses aze recreation, domestic, stock water and <br />Surface Water and Surface Water Drainages 3-13 <br />