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Specifically, the objectives of this study were to: <br />(1) quantify historic changes in the morphology of the Colorado River near Grand Junction, <br />Colorado; <br />(2) evaluate these changes in light of what is known about the history of water-resource <br />development in the upper basin; and <br />(3) examine the processes of in-channel habitat formation and evolution. <br />Surprising little was known about the history of the Colorado River in this area until the present <br />study was begun. And although the issue of habitat loss will remain a complex issue, the present <br />study represents an important first step towards identifying past trends and future prospects for <br />habitat improvement. Objective solutions to these problems are all the more necessary now <br />because demands for water in the Colorado River are high and any attempts to alter the flow regime <br />of the river to improve habitat for endangered fish must be weighed against the needs of various <br />other water users. <br />STUDY AREA <br />This study covers approximately 32 miles of the Colorado River near Grand Junction, <br />Colorado (Fig. 1). This segment of the river includes what are commonly referred to as the 15- <br />mile and 18-mile reaches; these reaches are located, respectively, upstream and downstream of the <br />confluence with the Gunnison River (Fig. 1). In this area, the Colorado River alternates between <br />single-thread and multi-thread reaches, suggesting it is very close to a threshold between braiding <br />and meandering. The riverbed is formed by cobble- and gravel-sized sediment while the banks and <br />floodplain are made up mostly of fine sand and silt. In many places, a dense thicket of tamarisk <br />and willow vegetation lines the banks. In other places, particularly in the 15-mile reach, the banks <br />have been artificially modified by levees and rip-rap. <br />2