232 



GILA RIVER BASIN. 







12.000 



11,000 



10,000 



9,000 



8.000 



7,000 



6,000 



6,000 



4,000 



3,000 



2,000 



],noo 



Discharge of r. ila Fiver at the Buttes, Arizona, for 1896. 



In contrast with -the Gila River and Queen Creek in Arizona, a dia- 

 gram is given showing the discharge of Cedar Creelf, Washington, for 

 the year 1897. The point of measurement of this stream is at Clifford's 

 bridge, in section 19, town. 22 north, range 7 east, Willamette Meridian. 

 The drainage area is estimated to be 143 square miles, and it, therefore, 

 is the same as the area of the basin of Queen Creek. The basin of Cedar 

 Creek lies on the western slope of the Cascade mountains. It is heavily 

 timbered, and in addition the ground is covered with a very heavy 

 growth of ferns and moss. The precipitation for the year 1897 was 

 about 93 inches in the lower portion of the basin, and is estimated to 

 have been as great as 150 inches on the mountain summits, The rain- 

 fall or the Queen Creek basin is estimated to be about 15 inches. The 

 maximum flood discharge in 1896 on Queen Creek was 9.000 cubic feet 

 per second, and the maximum flood discharge on Cedar Creek in 1897 

 was 3,601 cubic feet per second. The mean discharge for Queen Creek 

 was 15 cubic feet per second, and for Cedar Creek 1,089 cub»c feet per 

 second. While Queen Creek is frequently dry, the minimum discharge 

 if Cedar Creek during the period in question was never less than 27 

 per cent, of the mean for the year. These two streams represent ex- 

 treme types. The radical difference in their character is believed to be 

 largely due to the difference in forest cover. The discharge of Cedar 

 Creek for the year 1897 is believed to be fairly reprsentative. The 



