YAMPA RIVER

The 'Yampa River' is a tributary of the Green River, approximately 250 mi (402 km) long, in the U.S. 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).
The Yampa is one of the finest Northern Pike and Smallmouth bass fisheries in the United States. However for several years now, the US Fish And Wildlife, along with the Colorado Division Of Wildlife, have been removing and killing bass and pike from the river, leaving them to rot on the banks by the thousands. This is because the river was once home to endangered fish species, that have largely been wiped out due to habitat alterations and poisonings in the Green River. The introduction of bass and pike have been hypothesized to have contributed to the demise of endangered fish, though not the main cause and perhaps not even a major cause at all. Over 10,000 smallmouth bass and 2000 pike have been killed in the last two years, though no dents in the smallmouth bass population or increases of native fish have occurred despite this. These actions are ongoing, despite not helping endangered fish and strong public opposition.

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Proposal to pump water to the Front Range

See also

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 Divide, to the cities of the Front Range. The diversion would start near Maybell, Colorado, 20 miles downstream of Craig, Colorado[1][2]
. 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.

See also

★ List of Colorado rivers