River Watch Final Project
2011-2012
By: Bailey Kurz
For: CMS River Watch
The Description
The Yampa River is located in the Wyoming Basin. Four major features
define the river basin: the Washakie Basin, the Park Range, the Unita
Mountains, and the White river Plateau. The head waters of the Yampa begin in
the Flat Tops and go through a variety of unique features such as, volcanic
dikes, exposed Precambrian, (some of the oldest to the youngest rocks in the
U.S) flowing into the wide rich soiled valleys where agricultural lands and
riparian habitat co-exist. The river flows through many towns starting at the
flat tops and flowing through Steamboat, Hayden, Milner, and Craig it is joined
by the Little Snake River in Moffat County, just east of Dinosaur National
Monument. Inside Dinosaur National Monument, it joins the Green near the
border with Utah. These affect the water quality by causing dissolved solids
levels to increase significantly. The soils in the Colorado Plateau typically show
the material from which they are derived. Vegetation boundaries are usually
unexpected, corresponding to changes in available soil moisture. Soils located
in the lower elevations and canyon floors are usually hot and dry, and are
poorly developed, the soils at higher elevations are cool and moist. Soils found
in deposits from sandstone range from sandy loam to sand. The ones from
shale, materials range from clay loam to clay. Deeper soils are found in the
valley where shallow soils and exposed sandstone are found on rims, benches,
and slopes associated with anticlines and synclines.
Golf Corse in February facing east taken from the west
Latitude and Longitude-40˚ 30’ 00” x 107˚ 33’ 07” W
Fortification South, taken in February facing North, taken from the south side off the bridge
down stream of Craig
Latitude and Longitude- 40˚ 30’ 25”N x 107˚ 32’ 21” W
South Beach, taken facing north
Latitude and Longitude- 40˚ 28’ 54” N x 107˚ 36’ 44” W
Fortification North, taken facing west, taken off of the bridge
Latitude and Longitude-40˚ 30’ 08”N x 107˚ 30’ 39”W
Average Temperature, Alkalinity, Hardness, PH, and DO
Sites
Fortification
North
Fortification
South
Temperature
11.42˚C
10.83˚C
Alkalinity Hardness PH
DO
165.33
201.67
8.26 14.24
160.25
203
Mg/L
8.01 13.57
Golf course
11˚C
167.83
224
MG/L
8.24 9.4
South beach
7.50˚C
151.5
217
MG/L
8.29 7.54
Hydrograph
Metals Issues (Averages)
Zincs yearly average is 7ppb(Parts Per Billion)
Selenium is 2ppb, but with the confluence of the Little Snake and Yampa it is at
500ppb
Manganese 102ppb
Lead 3.8ppb
Copper 5.3ppb, but 0ppb with the confluence of the Little Snake and the Yampa
Aluminum 2900ppb
Iron 317ppb
(All these are taken at Deer Lodge Park in June and December)
Hypothesis on metals for 2012
I made the hypothesis that, the metal levels will increase; because the
water level is down due to the low levels of snow pack and looking at the data
from last year. This means that the water from run-off and the water already in
the river will be more concentrated this year then last year.
Conclusion
Prior to this River Watch class I didn’t think much more about the river
then the Agricultural and communal uses. Now I think about all the sources and
different things that affect the waters quality; for instance, the amount of runoff, the location from which the run-off comes from, what is on the ground
when the water runs over it, what the signs are of high alkalinity, hardness and
other things that we test for in the river; these are all things that effect the river
and the things around it.
Bibliography
http://mryoast.weebly.com/river-watch.html
https://www.arcgis.com/home/signin.html?error=403&returnUrl=http://www.arcgis.com/
home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=e63a0b85fbd2495abb30743b4cdea143
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09247600&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060h
ttp://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/parks/arch/http://tapestry.usgs.gov/ages/quaternary.
html