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<br />Rio Grande Basin Facts <br /> <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br /> <br />@l <br />Walden <br /> <br />@l Sterling <br /> <br />III Greeley <br /> <br />Meeker <br />f> <br /> <br />Grand <br />J'Mlction <br /> <br />\!) Glenwood <br />Springs <br /> <br />e Denver <br /> <br />Burlingto~ <br /> <br />Gunnislllon <br /> <br />(!)Colorado <br />Springs <br /> <br />@ Pueblo <br />\!) La Junta <br /> <br /> <br />Ove rvi ew <br /> <br />The Rio Grande system drains approxi- <br />mately 8,000 square miles in south central <br />Colorado. The Rio Grande and the <br />Conejos River rise in the eastern San Juan <br />Mountains and flow through the San Luis <br />Valley. In the northern portion of the <br />basin, streams flow into the "Closed <br />Basin," an internal drainage encompassing <br />approximately two-thirds of the San <br />Luis Valley. <br /> <br /> <br />Medano Creek <br /> <br />Conservation and <br />Conservancy Districts <br /> <br />Water Conservation District <br />Rio Grande <br /> <br />The Rio Grande's largest tributary is the <br />Conejos River, whose major tributaries, <br />in turn, are the San Antonio and the Los <br />Pinos Rivers. Other tributaries to the Rio <br />Grande include the Alamosa River and <br />La Jara and Trinchera Creeks. La Garita, <br />Carnero, Saguache, San Luis and many <br />other streams flow into the Closed Basin <br />and do not have a natural surface outlet to the Rio Grande. <br />Irrigated agriculture is the largest water use in the basin, <br />consuming more than 85 percent of all water used. An <br />estimated 600,000 acres are under irrigation which are <br />supplied by conjunctive use of surface and groundwater. <br /> <br />Water Conservancy Districts <br />San Luis Valley Alamosa-La Jara <br /> <br />Conejos Costilla County <br /> <br />Trinchera <br /> <br />Surface Water Diversions in Acre-feet by Use <br /> <br /> <br />D Irrigation <br />. Storage <br />D Municipal <br />D Industrial <br />. Commercial <br />D Domestic <br />II Stock <br />D Recreation <br />. Fish <br />D Augmentation <br />D Recharge <br /> <br />Water Year 1994 <br /> <br /> <br />Total <br /> <br />Source: Division 3 Annual Reports <br /> <br />1998 (AF) <br />1,144,192 <br />58,052 <br />10,692 <br />155 <br />321 <br />5,958 <br />o <br />284 <br />494 <br />3,803 <br />6,660 <br /> <br />1994 (AF) <br />1,191,835 <br />77,667 <br />8,770 <br />202 <br />2,139 <br />7,977 <br />849 <br />954 <br />2,883 <br />4,671 <br />11,702 <br /> <br />1,230,611 1,309,649 <br /> <br />16 <br /> <br />March 2002 <br /> <br /> <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br /> <br />Greg Walcher <br />DNR Executive Director <br /> <br />Rod Kuharich <br />CWCB Director <br /> <br />Raymond Wright <br />CWCB Member, <br />Rio Grande Basin <br /> <br />Growth <br /> <br />The basin is comprised of all or <br />portions of seven counties. Between <br />1990 and 2000, the population in- <br />creased by 15 percent, and now ac- <br />counts for approximately 1.1 percent <br />of the state's total population. The <br />graph below lists population for the <br />portions of the counties that are in <br />this basin. <br /> <br />Rio Grande Basin Population by County <br /> <br />14 <br /> <br />Total Basin Population <br />April 1990 39,600 <br />April 2000 45,400 <br /> <br />01990 .2000 <br /> <br />:[ 12 <br />o <br />Q> <br />a. 10 <br />o <br />o <br />o <br />~ 8 <br />c: <br />o <br />~ 6 <br />:i <br />a. <br />~ 4 <br /> <br />Percent Growth = 15% <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br /> <br />0 <br />ofly0 fly #'It .o~ ~'lt 00 ~0 <br />~ -s;:..0'" ~o 0''lt~ f?t (j <br />~ <;:-Cj ~~ (;0 cP ~t"tf 0~~ <br /> ~o <br /> <br />Source: Colorado Department of Local Affairs <br /> <br />Additional information about this river basin is <br />available at http:j jcwcb.state.co.us <br />