a pre- 1 886 priori ty date ensures a dirca flow water right for 

 anyone in July and Ai^ust. (Ai^ust 9, 1 886 is the prioriry 

 date for the Tongue and Yellowstone Irrigation District on 

 the Tongue River. It operates a ditch, which irrigates ap- 

 proximately 9,000 acres of land in the lower Tongue River 

 basin, with a decreed water right of 187.5 cubic feet per 

 second.) 



peaks usually during spring snowmelt in March and April. 

 A second, lesser magnitude peak occurs in June during early 

 summer rainfalls (see Figure 9). Bascflow conditions prevail 

 through summer and early fall. Two principal tributaries, 

 Lame Deer and Muddy creeks, enter the Rosebud on the 

 Rcscrvarion. Their flows are usually near Tero during late July 

 and August. 



B. Rosebud Creek 



1. Basin Characteristics 



The headwatersofRosebud Creek originate in the Wolf 

 Mountains, a sedimentary upland with maximum elevation 

 of 5,400 feet. The aeek flows through the Northern Chey- 

 enne Reservation for about 73 milcsand then for about 132 

 miles through private land until it empties into the Yellow- 

 stone River. 



Rosebud Creek isa perennial, prairiestream. Nosignifi- 

 cant snowpack develops in the Wolf Mountains. RunoflF 



The creek dissects a semi-arid rangeland and forms a 

 valleyapproximatcly 0.6 miles wide. Average annual precipi- 

 tation ranges from 1 2 to 1 7 inches. Alfalfa, hay and grain arc 

 major crops. Very few irrigation systems have been devel- 

 oped on Rosebud Creek; most of the crops receive sub- 

 irrigadon and natural flooding (Woessncr, ct al. 1981, 

 Griffith, Holnbeck, 1 982). No major reservoirs exist on die 

 creek. 



2. Streamflows 



Most or all flow accumulates upstream from USGS gage 

 no. 06295250 at Colstrip near the nonhcm reservation 

 boundary. Flow at the northern reservation boundary is 



Figure 9 



Monthly Volumes - Rosebud Creek 

 1938-1973 reconstituted flows, 1974-1988 measured flows 



4000 



I 2500 



I 



20 



