Yampa River
Encyclopedia
The Yampa River is a tributary of the Green River
, approximately 250 mi (402 km) long, in the U.S. state
of Colorado
. It's located in the Southwestern United States
. The Yampa is the second-largest watershed in the state of Colorado.
It rises in the Flat Tops
in northwestern Colorado, in the Routt National Forest in southeastern Garfield County
, and flows northwest, past Yampa
, and north to Steamboat Springs
, where it turns abruptly west. It then receives its chief tributary, the Elk River
, near the small town of Milner. It continues west in the plateau region along the north side of the Williams Fork Mountains, past the town of 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
.
The Yampa forms a noticeably wide, shallow stream throughout much of its course. The lower three fourths of the Yampa, from the Elk river down, are navigable by small craft. However the meandering, shallow nature of the river can render the river unnavigable during late summer in low water years. The discharge of the Yampa varies from about 600 ft³/s (17 m³/s) during low water summers to 20,000 ft³/s (600 m³/s) in spring runoff. Average flow at its confluence with the Green is about 2500 ft³/s (71 m³/s).
, to the cities of the Front Range
. The diversion would start near Maybell, Colorado
, 20 miles downstream of Craig, Colorado
. The proposal faces widespread opposition because it could lower river flows in late summer due to the diversion. The Yampa is one of the West's last wild rivers since it has only a few small dams and diversions.
Green River (Utah)
The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. The watershed of the river, known as the Green River Basin, covers parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The Green River is long, beginning in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and flowing...
, approximately 250 mi (402 km) long, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It's located in the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. The Yampa is the second-largest watershed in the state of Colorado.
It rises in the Flat Tops
Flat Tops (Colorado)
Flat Tops is a mountain range located in Colorado within the Routt and White River National Forests. The area is home to 110 Ponds and Lakes.Much of the range is within the boundary of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area....
in northwestern Colorado, in the Routt National Forest in southeastern Garfield County
Garfield County, Colorado
Garfield County is the eighth most extensive and the twelfth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 43,791 at U.S. Census 2000. The county is named in honor of United States President James A. Garfield...
, and flows northwest, past Yampa
Yampa, Colorado
Yampa is a Statutory Town in Routt County, Colorado, United States. The population was 443 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Yampa is located at ....
, and north to Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The city of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado, United States. The city is also known as "Steamboat," "The Boat," or "Ski Town USA". As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,088.The city is an...
, where it turns abruptly west. It then receives its chief tributary, the Elk River
Elk River (Colorado)
Elk River is a stream in Colorado. It flows from a confluence of the North Fork Elk River and Middle Fork Elk River in Routt National Forest north of Steamboat Springs to a confluence with the Yampa River....
, near the small town of Milner. It continues west in the plateau region along the north side of the Williams Fork Mountains, past the town of Craig
Craig, Colorado
The City of Craig is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census...
. It is joined by the Little Snake River
Little Snake River
The Little Snake River is a tributary of the Yampa River, approximately 150 mi long, in southwestern Wyoming and northwestern Colorado in the United States....
in Moffat County
Moffat County, Colorado
Moffat County is the northwesternmost and the second most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 13,184 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Craig.- History :...
, just east of Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument is a National Monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. Although most of the monument area is in Moffat County, Colorado, the Dinosaur Quarry is located in Utah...
. Inside Dinosaur National Monument, it joins the Green near the border with Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
The Yampa forms a noticeably wide, shallow stream throughout much of its course. The lower three fourths of the Yampa, from the Elk river down, are navigable by small craft. However the meandering, shallow nature of the river can render the river unnavigable during late summer in low water years. The discharge of the Yampa varies from about 600 ft³/s (17 m³/s) during low water summers to 20,000 ft³/s (600 m³/s) in spring runoff. Average flow at its confluence with the Green is about 2500 ft³/s (71 m³/s).
Proposal to pump water to the Front Range
In December, 2006, a report came out on a proposal to pump water from the Yampa 200 miles east, and under the Continental DivideContinental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
, to the cities of the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
. The diversion would start near Maybell, Colorado
Maybell, Colorado
Maybell is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The Maybell Post Office has the ZIP Code 81640.The lowest temperature ever recorded in the state of Colorado was -61°F at Maybell on February 1, 1985....
, 20 miles downstream of Craig, Colorado
Craig, Colorado
The City of Craig is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census...
. The proposal faces widespread opposition because it could lower river flows in late summer due to the diversion. The Yampa is one of the West's last wild rivers since it has only a few small dams and diversions.