SUBSTANTIATING MATERIALS CHAPTER I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Colorado River storage project and participating projects would provide a means for the full development of the water resources of the Colorado River system above Lee Ferry. Lee Ferry in northern Arizona is the dividing point on the river between the upper and lower Colorado River basins. The upper basin, as defined by the Colorado River compact, includes, in addition to the natural drainage basins above Lee Ferry, all parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming located without the drainage area of the Colorado River system which are now or shall hereafter be beneficially served by waters diverted from the system above Lee Ferry. These outside areas include the east slope area of Colorado and the Wasatch front area of Utah representing the largest centers of population, agriculture, and industry in these States. The outside areas also include important areas in New Mexico and Wyoming. The upper basin as referred to in this report, is the large area defined by the compact. For distinction, the natural drainage basin above Lee Ferry is referred to as the upper drainage basin. PHYSICAL FEATURES With a drainage area of 110,000 square miles, the upper drainage basin is larger than New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey combined. It is bound on the east and north by mountains forming the Continental Divide and on the west by other Rocky Mountain Ranges. On the south it opens to the lower basin through which the Colorado River continues to the Gulf of California. The Colorado River rises among lofty peaks more than 14,000 feet in height in the northwest portion of Rocky Mountain National Park, 70 miles northwest of Denver. It meanders southwest 640 miles through the upper basin to Lee Ferry. The Green River, its major tributary, rises in western Wyoming and discharges into the Colorado River in southeastern Utah, 730 river miles south of its origin and 220 river miles above Lee Ferry. The Green River drains 70 percent more area than the Colorado River above their junction but produces only about three-fourths as much water. Other principal tributaries of the Colorado are the west-flowing Gunnison and San Juan Rivers. The Yampa and White Rivers from the east and the Duchesne River from the west are the principal contributors to the Green River. Many small tributary streams flow inward from the mountains, traversing fertile valleys. In or beyond these valleys the streams converge into the Colorado River and its larger tributaries and become deeply entrenched in the expansive and rugged plateau country which makes up the central and southern portion of the upper drainage basin. CLIMATE A wide range of climate in various parts of the upper drainage basin is caused by differences in altitude and latitude and to a lesser extent by topographic features. Extremes of temperatures range from 52° below zero at Kendall, Wyo., to 109° above zero at Shiprock, N. Mex. The northern portion of the drainage basin is characterized by short, warm summers and long, cold winters. In the southern portion summers are longer and winters are moderate at low altitudes but colder temperatures prevail in the mountains. A peculiar climatic condition exists in parts of western Colorado where topographic features create an air drainage in localized sections along the foothills. This condition mitigates frost damage and favors the growing of such fruits as peaches, pears, apricots, cherries, and berries. Precipitation increases with altitude, being heaviest in the high eastern and northern portions of the basin. Most precipitation falls in the form of winter snows and spring rains. The higher mountain peaks are snow capped most of the year. Weather records for representative stations are summarized in the following table. Weather records at representative stations in upper drainage basin Settlement of the upper drainage basin began in 1854 when Mormon pioneers established Old Fort Supply in Wyoming on their immigrant trail and diverted water from Blacks Fork onto adjacent land. Breckenridge, Colo., on the basin's eastern rim was settled in 1859 by miners and prospectors pushing over the mountains from older mining districts on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide. Within the next decade other mining camps were established nearby. Unsuccessful miners turned to farming and supplied agricultural products to the mining communities. Settlement grew downward from the mountains to the valleys, the advance being slowed somewhat by conflicts with the Indians who occupied the territory. Grand Junction, Colo., now the largest community in the upper drainage basin, was not settled until 1882. The greater part of the Uinta Basin in northeastern Utah was established as an Indian reservation in 1861 and lands unoccupied by Indians were not opened to settlement until 1905. Most lands of agricultural importance in the San Juan River Basin in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona were once included in Indian reservations, and substantial areas are still under Indian control. The United States, however, purchased 3 million acres from the Indians in 1873 and in 1899 opened to white settlers reservation land unoccupied by Indians. Some Indian alloted lands have been purchased by individual whites. Population The upper Colorado River drainage basin is sparsely populated. The 1940 census showed 286,450 people in the basin. The average density was 2.6 persons a square mile compared with a national average of 44.2 persons a square mile. The 1940 population was a little more than double that of 1900. The growth over the 40-year period was slightly faster than the national average but far slower than the average for the Western States. A substantial increase in population is expected to be shown by the 1950 census primarily because of the accelerated development of mineral resources in the last 10 years. The population of the upper drainage basin by decades is shown below. 1900 1910. 1920_. Population 131, 500 1930_ Population 224, 300 286, 450 About 92 percent of the people in the upper drainage basin are white. Of the nonwhites, Indians are in greatest number. In 1940 about 20,000 Indians lived in the San Juan River Basin and about 1,200 in the Uinta Basin. The six largest towns in the upper drainage basin with their 1940 and 1950 populations are listed below. The growth of Grand Junction, Montrose, and Delta is largely attributable to Federal reclamation projects constructed early in the century. Federal reclamation projects also have been important factors in the economy of Durango and Price. Durango, Price, and Rock Springs, however, depend primarily on mining and railroading. Farmington, N. Mex., is an important agricultural center and is rapidly developing as an oil and gas producer. Immediately east of the upper Colorado River drainage basin is the most densely populated part of Colorado including Denver, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and other cities and towns. Just west of the basin are Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo, and other communities containing Utah's heaviest concentrations of population. Important population centers such as Rawlins, Laramie, and Cheyenne, Wyo., and Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and Albuquerque, N. Mex., also lie adjacent to the upper Colorado River Basin. 45515-54 -7 |