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those tributary to the North Fork. Based upon streamflows measured <br /> in water year 1978, the water yields from these drainages are nearly <br /> an order of magnitude greater than that from Sylvester Gulch. <br /> The evaluation of flow within the Minnesota Creek drainage can only <br /> be considered an approximation due to infiltration and seepage losses, <br /> seasonal variations in precipitation and potential evaporation and <br /> sampling difficulties. Nevertheless, approximately 1,000 acre-feet is <br /> annually transferred from the Little Gunnison Creek to the Dry Fork <br /> of Minnesota Creek, and the average annual flow of the East Fork of <br /> Minnesota Creek is approximately 19,920 acre-feet. Irrigation ditches <br /> annually remove about 20,000 acre-feet from Minnesota Creek. <br /> Two reservoirs are located within the Minnesota Creek drainage. <br /> Minnesota Reservoir is located on the Dry Fork. It has a decreed <br /> capacity of 1,285 acre-feet, but the actual capacity may be closer to <br /> 500 acre-feet. Beaver Reservoir is located on the East Fork of <br /> Minnesota Creek and has an absolute decreed capacity of 1,620 <br /> acre-feet and a conditional decree of 522 acre- feet. Both reservoirs <br /> store water for irrigation purposes and are filled during spring runoff. <br /> They are usually drained by late August or early September. <br /> Water quality data have been collected at several sites throughout the <br /> Minnesota Creek drainage. The data indicate that these waters are of <br /> a calcium bicarbonate type with relatively low total dissolved solids <br /> concentration. <br /> Minnesota Reservoir appears to have an effect on the water quality <br /> characteristics of Dry Fork. Detention of Dry Fork flows in the <br /> Minnesota Reservoir results in a decrease in total suspended solids <br /> (TSS) or turbidity, a slight increase in temperature, dissolved oxygen <br /> (DO), and total dissolved solids (TDS). The increase in TDS is most <br /> likely a result of evaporation losses. There is a slight increase in <br /> alkalinity and, as a result, a slight increase in pH. In all likelihood, <br /> these changes are also a result of evaporation losses. All of the <br /> changes in water quality observed are what would be expected as a <br /> result of impounding water in a shallow reservoir in a semi-arid <br /> climate. <br /> There are over a hundred (100) springs located throughout the West <br /> Elk study area. Measurements indicate that spring flows generally <br /> decrease from a high in the early summer to a low in the fall. A <br /> number of the springs are ephemeral, indicating that their sources are <br /> small localized aquifers (i.e. landslide deposits, colluvium, lenticular <br /> sandstones, etc.). There are a total of nineteen (19) decreed spring <br /> water rights on or near the West Elk permit area. <br /> 27 <br />