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surface water rights. Recharge of the bedrock aquifers occurs primarily at higher elevations north of the lease application area through infiltra- • tion of precipitation into the strata. Discharge is by small seeps along hill sides where aquifers are exposed by erosion along the White River. The movement of Mesaverde groundwater is controlled by the Red Wash Syn- cline and major fracture zones Located along Red Wash, Scullion Gulch, and the White River. Groundwater in the northwest part of the area moves down dip and then normal to the Red Wash Syncline. Within the central and southern portion of the area, the groundwater moves in a more southerly direction toward the White River, in response to the permeable fracture zones. Drainage patterns are incised and dendritic, with Scullion Gulch draining 11.8 square miles and Red Wash draining 122.5 square miles. Runoff events in both these streams are primarily in response to snowmelt and rainfall. Red Wash also receives flow from springs Located at higher elevations approximately 6 miles north of the lease application area. There are no springs in the lease application area itself, although seeps exist at various sites along the Red Wash channel. The White River, which will receive discharge from the lease application and adjacent areas, is a perennial stream. Water quantity in the White River exhibits seasonal variations typical of snowmelt rivers in the semiarid regions of the intermountain west. The majority of flow in the White River occurs bet- ween May and July in response to snowmelt. Plows begin to decrease in July, increase slightly in October, in response to thunderstona activity, and decline steadily until precipitation increases again in March. Sur- face water quality in the White River is characterized as a calcium- sulfate type. Soils The soils in the Lease application area have been mapped by the Soil Con- servation Service in an Order III soil survey of Rio Blanco Ccunty. The alluvial soils occurring along Red Wash and in the side draws have been delineated as the Uffens Loam, Turley fine sandy loam, and TorreEluvents, which are Bullied. The soils on tha uplands consist of the Moyerson stony clay loam, Rentsac-Moyersan-Rock outcrop complex, and Rock outcrop. The alluvial soils are deep, calcareous, somewhat saline and were derived from sandstone and shale. The available water holding capacity is high, the runoff is rated se medium and the hazard of water erosion is slight to moderato. The upland soils are shallow and well drained, formed in place on either sandstone or shale. The available water holding capacity is low, the run- off is medium to rapid, and the hazard of water erosion is very high. 10