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VEGETATION The channel along Steven's Gulch a[ the CWI wellfield contained no water in the vegetation study done in 1983 and was deeply incised. Plant species occurring along the channel included Pacific Willow, River Hawthorne, Narrowleaf Cotton- wood, Horsetails, and Rushes. The extent of any sub-irrigated indicator species was approximately four to five feet on either side of the normally dry channel. All of the species that can indicate sub-irrigation along Lhe channel were confined to the extreme channel bottom along the gulch. The vegetation in the remainder of the drainage basin area range from mixed shrubs in the lower elevations, to pinyon ,juniper in the intermediate elevations to oak brush intermixed with aspen stands, mountain meadows, and sagebrush, in the highest elevation. Most of the area is dominated by the oak brush because of eleva- tion. LAND USE • The Steven's Gulch Drainage Basin land use is typically rangeland. Within [his rangeland, cattle are grazed on a commercial basis and wildlife grazing is plentiful. The rangeland area is used for recreational purposes such as hunt- ing in the fall, and snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing in the winter. The area is used for recreational vehicle use and hiking during the summer and late spring. The Orchard Valley Mine facilities are located within the Steven's Gulch Drainage Basin. Also, two abandoned coal mines, the Black Diamond to the west of Orchard Valley MIne and the Cowen-Converse Mine to the east of Orchard Valley Mine have been operated in the past. WATER RIGHTS A review of Steven's Gulch Drainage Basin water rights indicates that 16.533 cubic feet per second have been decreed for irrigation and 1.40 cubic feet per second and 49.0 acre feet have been decreed for other uses, including domestic, stockpond, and fish culture. Although four irrigation ditches are adjudicated, diversion records and acreage values exist only on two of the ditches. The other two have not diverted water within the last 20 years. Any other irrigation ditches within the Steven's Gulch Basin divert their water from springs, seeps, and/or waste water, none of which divert directly from Steven's Gulch Creek. Four additional decrees exist in the Steven's Gulch Basin. Also, four wells have been decreed pursuant to an existing augmentation plan for the Orchard Valley Mine. For further information on the specific water right information, please see "Water Rights Identification and Analysis for an Area North of Paonfa, Colo- rado," by Hydro Dynamics, Inc., Denver, Colorado, August, 1983.