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<br />1 <br /> <br />002714 <br /> <br />Opportunities for Ecological Improvement Along the Lower Colorado River <br />Mark Briggs and Steve Cornelius <br />7/24/97 <br /> <br />ecological condition of this reach of the lower Colorado River was assessed, with <br />particular focus on identifying areas that contain significant native wetland habitat or <br />show promise for future restoration activities. Third, courses of action are <br />recommended for enhancing damaged areas and maintaining areas of natural <br />significance. <br /> <br />CHANGES ALONG THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER <br />The Colorado River watershed is a vast system. From its headwaters in the Rocky <br />Mountains to the Sea of Cortez, the Colorado River travels over 1,400 miles and drains <br />an area of 244,000 square miles (this includes 2,000 square miles of northern Mexico). <br />Even within the narrow focus of this investigation -Parker Dam to the Sea of Cortez _ <br />there are wide variations in land use patterns and physical and biological conditions <br />(Fig. 1). The current hydrologic, physical, and biologic characteristics of this reach and <br />the changes that have taken place in these parameters since the construction of Hoover <br />Dam are fairly well documented (Ohm art et al. 1988, Glenn et al. 1992, Abarca et al. <br />1993, Glenn et al. 1996) and are reviewed only briefly here. <br /> <br />t <br />N <br /> <br />t~ <br />.~C <br />d~ Headgate Rock Dam <br /> <br /> <br />Bill Williams River <br /> <br />Site #4 <br />Dredge Spoil Site <br />Revegetation <br />Habitat Creation <br /> <br />Site # 2 <br />No Name Lake <br />Revegetatioo <br />Habitat Mitigatioo <br /> <br />Site # 1 <br />Ahakhav Tribal Preserve <br />Revegetation <br />Habitat Enhancement <br /> <br />Site # 5 <br />Farmer's Market Bridge <br />Revegetation <br />Habitat Creation <br /> <br />Site # 3 <br />Qbola NWR Saline Sites <br />Revegetation <br />Habitat Creation! <br />Ex . ment <br /> <br />~ <br />.~C <br />f <br /> <br />Riverside County <br />.------------- <br />Imperial County <br /> <br />Site #6 <br />lbree-Fmger Lake Sites <br />Land Fonning/Revegetation <br />Habila1 Creation <br /> <br />Site #8 <br />Mittry Lake <br />________ Revegetation! <br />~ Mitigation <br /> <br />Gila River <br /> <br />Site #9 <br />Fortuna Lake <br />Revegetation <br />Mitigation <br /> <br />_ _1!!t~'!!ali~n~I.!32ull<!a!Y _ _ _ _ <br /> <br />Morelos Dam ~ <br />20 30 40 km <br />I II <br />Scale <br />Figure 1. Idealized map of Colorado River mainstem and location of sites considered in the <br />investigation. <br /> <br />o <br />I <br /> <br />Site #10 <br />Colorado-Gila River <br />Confluence <br />Natural Regeneration <br /> <br />Page 2 <br />