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<br />PART III. HYDROLOGY OF THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER <br />BELOW HOOVER DAM <br /> <br />A. Water Supply <br />1. Description of Physical Features Below <and Including) <br /> <br />Hoover Dam. The main stream of the Colorado River rises in the <br /> <br />Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado, flows southwest about 1,400 <br /> <br />miles to the Gulf of California traversing the mountain valleys of <br /> <br />Colorado, the spectacular c8DYOnB of southeastern Utah and northern <br /> <br />Arizona and final.ly, below Lake Mead, passes through broad allu- <br /> <br />vial valleys interspersed vi th mountain chains. The natural <br /> <br />drainage area of the Lower Colorado River Basin below Hoover Dam <br /> <br />and above the northerly international boundary is about 75,200 <br /> <br />square miles. From Hoover Dam to the point where the Colorado <br /> <br />River crosses the international boundary into Mexico, the river <br /> <br />flows generally in a southerly direction for a distance of about <br /> <br />326 miles. Of this distance, about J29 miles are contained <br /> <br />vithin reservoirs and 52 miles are in narrow c8DYOns. The <br /> <br />remaining 145 miles traverse broad alluvial valleys. <br /> <br />A listing of the existing dams and lakes on the Colorado <br /> <br />River in the Lower Basin is given in Table No. 1. These features <br />are also shown on Drawing No. 423-300-59, "Map and Operational <br /> <br />'f <br /> <br />Diagt"BIIl - Lower Colorado River - Lees Ferry to Gulf of California." <br /> <br />Hoover DBIIl is a concrete thick-arch structure 726 feet high <br /> <br />and J244 feet long at the crest. Lake Mead, the reservoir behind <br /> <br />Hoover Dam, is used to provide storage for in!Provement of naviga- <br /> <br />tion, river regulation, and flood control; for the dellver;y of <br /> <br />968RO 0 - 6~ - 3 <br /> <br />17 <br />