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<br />CRWUA
<br />
<br />000753
<br />COLORADO RIVER
<br />NATURAL FLOW AT L,EE'S FERRY
<br />
<br />"
<br />
<br />M 26
<br />I 24-
<br />L 22-
<br />L
<br />I 20-
<br />018__
<br />N 16-
<br />A 14--
<br />C
<br />R 12, -
<br />E 10---
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<br />F 8__
<br />E 6
<br />E
<br />T 4_,_
<br />2-,
<br />0-,
<br />1905
<br />
<br />
<br />coastal Southern
<br />California. Parker also
<br />later provided an intake
<br />point for the Central
<br />Arizona Project which in
<br />1985 began pumping
<br />Colorado River water into
<br />the interior of Arizona.
<br />The first structure on
<br />the Colorado River was
<br />Laguna Dam, completed'
<br />in 1909 as part of the
<br />Yuma Project which'deliv-
<br />ered water to both the,
<br />Arizona and California"
<br />sides of the river. With
<br />completion of the Gila,
<br />Project in the 1950s,
<br />Colorado River water
<br />began to flow on the '
<br />Yuma Mesa and into the
<br />Gila River Valley of
<br />Arizona. In 1957 Palo
<br />Verde Diversion Dam
<br />began diverting water into
<br />California's Palo Verde
<br />Valley. The Southern
<br />Nevada Water Project,
<br />completed in 1982, pro-
<br />vides municipal water for
<br />the Las Vegas Valley.
<br />, In May 1992 the Yuma
<br />Desalting Plant, part of
<br />the Colorado River
<br />Salinity Control Project,
<br />began desalting irrigation
<br />return flows and making
<br />
<br />-----10YEARAVERAGE
<br />
<br />the water acceptable for
<br />delivery to Mexico under
<br />terms of a 1973 salinity
<br />agreement.
<br />
<br />Operations ,,'.-
<br />Because the land and
<br />needs of the four upper
<br />basin states - Colorado,
<br />New Mexico, Utah and
<br />Wyoming - differ from
<br />those of the three lower
<br />states, the two regions of
<br />the river are operated dif-
<br />, . -..
<br />fetentIy.
<br />In tlie lower basiu states
<br />of Arizona, California and
<br />Nevada, the three opera - ,
<br />tional priorities are (1)
<br />flood control, river regula-
<br />tion and improved naviga-
<br />tion; (2) water conserva-
<br />tion and storage; and (3)
<br />hydroelectric power gen-
<br />eration.
<br />As water is in such short
<br />supply in the West, it is
<br />released from Hoover
<br />Dam only when requested
<br />by downstream farms and
<br />cities. Under normal con.
<br />ditions only enough water
<br />is released to meet these
<br />orders and the river chan-
<br />
<br />1995
<br />
<br />that the upper basin states
<br />will annually release an
<br />average of 7.5 million acre-
<br />feet (maf) of Colorado
<br />River water to the three
<br />lower basin states.
<br />Additionally, Mexico annu-
<br />ally receives at least 1.5
<br />maf of Colorado River
<br />water as established in a
<br />1944 Mexico-Unite\l States
<br />treaty defining rights' to the
<br />Colorado, Rio Grande and
<br />Tijuana rivers; The respon. ,
<br />sibility for makingthe
<br />water available is joi,ntIy
<br />shared by the ripPl'r and
<br />'lower basins, and accord- '
<br />ingly aminimum of 8.23
<br />maf is annually released '
<br />from Glen Canyon path to
<br />meet this obligation. An
<br />average 20,000 acre'feet
<br />from the Paria River flows
<br />into the Colorado below
<br />Glen Canyon. This total
<br />upper basin 8.25 'maf aimu-
<br />al flow provides 7.5 maf for
<br />the lower states and
<br />750000 acre-feet for,
<br />Me~ico. Th,e latter'figure,
<br />wh,m combined with . ','
<br />another 750,000 acre-feet
<br />from the lower basin, forms
<br />the minimum amiual treaty
<br />, delivery to Mexico.
<br />
<br />Recreation ,
<br />
<br />ReClamation' projects
<br />have created some of
<br />',America's preniler re'cre~
<br />ational opportunities. '
<br />Activities abound, both,
<br />above and below the various
<br />, dams. From the small,
<br />remote reservoir providing
<br />a uear wilderness experi- '
<br />ence, to those at our b~ck
<br />doorstep, ReClamation pro-
<br />, vides abundant opportuni-
<br />ties for boating, camping
<br />and fishing. At many reser-
<br />voirs, one may find wind
<br />surfing, mountain biking,
<br />
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<br />1915 1925' 1935 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985
<br />NATURAL FLOW = FLOW WITHOUT DIVERSION OR REGULATION
<br />
<br />nel will be dry below the
<br />last diversion point,
<br />Mexico's Morelos Dam,
<br />near Yuma, Arizona.
<br />Nearly all releases are
<br />routed through hydroelec.
<br />tric powerplants, but
<br />power generation occurs
<br />only after the first two pri-
<br />orities of flood control and
<br />water storage have been
<br />satisfied.
<br />
<br />Benefits
<br />Water released from
<br />Hopver Daniirrigates ,,', "
<br />about 900,OlJO acrescreat-
<br />ing revenues of nearly $1.7
<br />billion annually. Each year
<br />400 billion gallons of water
<br />released from Hoover
<br />Dam partially meet the
<br />domestic needs of more
<br />than 15 million people.
<br />The four hydroelectric
<br />power plants in the lower
<br />portion of the Colorado
<br />River have a capacity of
<br />nearly 2,500 megawatts
<br />generating 6 billion kilo-
<br />watt hours of power, most
<br />of which is used for meet.
<br />ing peak power demands.
<br />
<br />Where the water goes
<br />The Colorado River
<br />Compact of 1922 states
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