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<br />002331
<br />
<br />ARIZONA V. CALIFORNIA AND PACII'IC SOUTHWEST WATER PROBLEMS 33
<br />
<br />Although the Colorado IS usually pictured as a colossus among rivers
<br />(including its popular and impressive features such as the Grand Can-
<br />yon) it is a smaller river than most believe. For example, the Sacra-
<br />mento River, which has but 10 percent of the drainage area of the
<br />Colorado River, produces from 40 to 50 percent more water each year
<br />than the Colorado. The Colorado drains an arid part of the West,
<br />and, In the Lower Basin, serves an arid area.
<br />The table below shows the historic flow of the Colorado River at Lee
<br />Ferry. It can be seen that recent years were comparatively dry ones.
<br />
<br />TABLE VI
<br />HISTORIC FLOW OF THE COLORADO RIVER AT LEE FERRY
<br />
<br />(Stream flow in acre-feet)
<br />
<br />Water year
<br />
<br />1896________________~___ _____
<br />1897__________________________
<br />1898__________________________
<br />1899__________________________
<br />1900_________________________.
<br />1901__________________________
<br />1902__________________________
<br />1903__________________________
<br />1904__________________________
<br />1905__________________________
<br />1906__________________________
<br />1907__________________________
<br />1908__________________________
<br />1909_"________________________
<br />1910__________________________
<br />1911__________________________
<br />1912__________________________
<br />1913__________________________
<br />1914__________________________
<br />1915__________________________
<br />1916__________________________
<br />1917__________________________
<br />1918__________________________
<br />1919~_________________________
<br />1920__________________________
<br />1921__________________________
<br />1922__________________________
<br />1923__________________________
<br />1924__________________________
<br />1925__________________________
<br />1926__________________________
<br />1927__________________________
<br />1925__________________________
<br />1929__________________________
<br />
<br />Stream flow
<br />
<br />9,760,000
<br />17,500,000
<br />13.300.000
<br />15,250,000
<br />12,600,000
<br />12,900,000
<br />8.740,000
<br />13,950,000
<br />14.700;000
<br />15.000,000
<br />17,964,000
<br />22,003,000
<br />11,763.000
<br />21.706.000
<br />12,969,000
<br />14,622,000
<br />18,880,000
<br />12,994;000
<br />19,334,800
<br />12,500,400
<br />17,324,800
<br />21,893,100
<br />13,649,600
<br />10,858,400
<br />19,738.700
<br />20,714,800
<br />16,302,400
<br />16,261,300
<br />12,481,100
<br />11,341,100
<br />14.00S.500
<br />16.586.900
<br />15,323,300
<br />19,223,400
<br />
<br />Water year
<br />
<br />1930_______________________
<br />1931_______________________
<br />1932_______________________
<br />1933_______________________
<br />1934_______________________
<br />1935______~________________
<br />1936______________r________
<br />1937_______________________
<br />1938______________~________
<br />1939_______________________
<br />1940_______________________
<br />1941_______________________
<br />1942_______________________
<br />1943_______________________
<br />1944_______________________
<br />1945_______________________
<br />1946_______________________
<br />1947_______________________
<br />1948_______________________
<br />1949_______________________
<br />1950_______________________
<br />1951_______________________
<br />1952_______________________
<br />1953_______________________
<br />1954_______________________
<br />1955____~__________________
<br />1956_______________________
<br />1957_______________________
<br />1958______________________~
<br />1959_______________________
<br />1960_______________________
<br />1961_______________________
<br />1962_______________________
<br />1963_______________________
<br />1964_______________________
<br />
<br />Stream flow
<br />
<br />13,070.100
<br />6.387,500
<br />15.2S6.300
<br />9,745,400
<br />4,396,400
<br />9,912,100
<br />1l.970.300
<br />11,896,900
<br />15.440.000
<br />9,393.700
<br />7.081,600
<br />16,052,000
<br />17,029.400
<br />11,263,000
<br />13,221,400
<br />11,545,400
<br />8.744.700
<br />13,514,400
<br />13.6S7.200
<br />14,359.000
<br />1l.057,200
<br />9.830.700
<br />17.980.000
<br />8,805.000
<br />6.116.000
<br />7,307.000
<br />8.754.000
<br />17,347,000
<br />14.260.000
<br />6.756,000
<br />9.192.000
<br />6.674.000
<br />14.828.000
<br />6,291,000
<br />6.824.000
<br />
<br />Sources: 1896-1957 Report of Special Master, op cit, p. 117.
<br />1958-1964 Colorado River Board.
<br />',- - ., - ' , 'I'
<br />'.'The estiniated inflow to Lake Mead which would have occured during
<br />the wet and dry periods of record IS shown III the table below:
<br />
<br />Estimated average annual flow
<br />(in millions of acre-feet)
<br />1896-1908 1909-29 1930-62
<br />14.3 16.1 11.3
<br />__ 1.1 0.8
<br />
<br />Colorado River at Lee Ferry ____________
<br />Net gains Glen Canyon to Hoover Dam --
<br />
<br />Inflow to Lake Mead -------------------
<br />Source: Pacific Southwest Water Plan.
<br />2-L-1239
<br />
<br />17.2
<br />
<br />1909-62
<br />13.2
<br />0.9
<br />
<br />12.1
<br />
<br />14.1
<br />
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