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<br />CHAPTERTHREE <br /> <br />Affected EnuironmeM <br />generally cam water only after precipitation events and during snowmelt. although water may ...~. •4rN ~' <br />remain in some sections for several days after a significant storm. No flow data aze available for ~ o <br />the intermittent streams. These intermittent channels are 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: 2 ~ ~4 ,aor~ t <br />• Class 2 -Warm Water Aquatic Life -waters that aze no capable of sustaining a wide variety <br />of warm water biota due to physical habitat, water flows or uncorrectable water quality <br />conditions <br />• Class 2 -Secondary Contact Recrea[ion -waters that are suitable or intended to become <br />suitable for recreational uses on or about the water, including fishing and other streamside <br />recreation <br />a <br />• Agriculture -waters that aze suitable or intended to become suitable for irrigation of crops ~v° <br />and that are not hazazdous as drinking water for livestock do <br />Surface water in the Piceance Creek drainage basin is described as mixed bicarbonate in the ~o <br />upper portions of the drainage basin and sodium bicarbonate in the lower portions. Chemical <br />components found in Piceance Creek surface waters aze attributed to the weathering o~surficial ~w[ J"'~~~' d <br />materials in the azea. The principal ionic co~~i~uen~s in Piceance Creek incl a ~od~tmt, f ~ Ur ~~ ~e.: <br />calcium, magnesium, bicazbonate, sulfate,~c onde, potass[uut;-and-Aueride ,odium, M~ ~ 5~t~ <br />bicazbonate, and sulfate levels generally decrease dunng thed~prtn~enojv~teli nmoffbecause of ~a-'~ ~<<<.. <br />the increased amount of water, while chloride and fluoride remain es_Senrra~Y-eonstant. Calcium C0'' ~ <br />and magnesium concentrations show small decreases, and potassium increases~uring the K ^°* Z `~ o r <br />snowmelt. During the irrigation season (July);:so ~ ecomes concentrated, and c~leifim and <br />magnesium concentrations incrgase. In later summer and fall. PiceanceeCreek flow is controlled E ~ ~„ <br />primarily by groundwater discharge, which causes the w'atrtso-bc-hipzh]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 />summer and Qa~l c~kn~hl~lr sediment loads from the tributaries. Sediment sources are the <br />Uinta Formation (sandstones and silts) extending from Rio Blanco and the valley alluvium <br />(iJSGS 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 ~+++n~rnum of 4 mg/1(October 1977) to ~ ,,o ' <br />a maximum of 25,000 mgll(September 1978) (USGS 1997.) 3 i o e o P .i.'•~~ i 9t ~ ~~° <br />The USGS has periodically monitored water quality at the three gaging stations since 1970. di.to~ d~~r~'I ~ <br />Table 3.3-1 presents the recorded data for Water Year 1997. p~j ~i <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 />15 to 22 and 28 to 29). The recorded water uses aze recreation, domestic, stock water and <br />Sun'ace Water and Surface Water Drainages 3-] 3 <br />