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CNAPTERTHREE Affected Environment industrial. The main stem of the Piceance Creek is used primarily for irrigation of agricultural (ands. There is no recorded use of the water in the intermittent channels draining across the Piceance Site. 3.3.2 Parachute Creek Watershed The Pazachute Creek watershed covers approximately 200 squaze miles and flows into the Colorado River south of the town of Pazachute. The creek flows in a southerly direction from its headwaters on the Roan Plateau in Garfield County to the Colorado River. The USGS has historically maintained six gaging stations on Pazachute Creek with varying periods of record from 1921 to 1986. No stations aze currently being monitored along Parachute Creek. The average recorded streamflows for the three gaging stations are presented in the following table. ' USGS CxaEing $ration „ . Disctiasge; efs '.. Period:oERecurd. At Parachute, CO 32 1421-1981 09093500 Near Grand Valley 33.7 1949-1984 09093000 West Fork 4.4 1958-1962 09092800 The Parachute Creek station is the most downstream station in the drainage basin and is located near the town of Pazachute. The station near Grand Valley is 0.6 mile downstream from the confluence of West and East Forks Parachute Creek near Gardner Gulch. Water Quality. The mainstream Parachute Creek, per the Colorado Water Quality Standards (5 CCR 1002-8 and 37; Region 11, Stream Segment 4), ti designated as: • Class 2 -Cold Water Aquatic Life -waters that are not capable of sustaining a wide variety of cold water biota due to physical habitat, water flows or uncorrectable water quality conditions • Class 2 -Secondary Contact Recreation • Agriculture In general, the water quality in the Parachute Creek drainage basin is typical of surface waters from semi-arid areas of western Colorado. The water is slightly alkaline, with mean pH values ranging from 8.0 to 8.5. The major anion in these waters is bicarbonate, with some cazbon~te~ present when t~h }e~xc a 8.3. The concentrations of trace metals in the wate~nerally low and are Il~etow s lished water quality standazds. Concentrations of chemical constituents are generally lowest in the upstream reaches of the Parachute Creek drainage. Farther down the Pazachute Creek drainage, soluble salts accumulate from natural runoff and imgation retttm flows (COE 1985). Water Use. Parachute Creek provides irrigation and livestock watering for the surrounding valley. 3-14 Surface Water and Surface Water Drainages ~~~ ~ al`w~'ls 2 1 ~'~.n L ,