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<br />Nl\.'l'ER QU!\LI'l'Y l\.ND 'l'IlE LAI1 OF 'l'lIP. RIVER
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<br />'l'hc Colorado River rIses in the tJigh snm1capped Mountains of
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<br />Colorado and flows in a sO<i::hwesterly direction for a~);,::-oxinately
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<br />1,400 miles throuc;h ColrJrado, Utah, and l\rizona and alonc;the
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<br />,\;:izon.:\ Nevada and the l.rizona-California boundaries until it
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<br />C;':LJties into the Guli of Cillifornia in ~lexico. On its way to th8
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<br />~;C~I waters aro addc~ by tributaric~ ~vhich originate in the St~tc.s
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<br />of \':yor:l.ing I Colorado I Ut:all, licv.:tda, New Nexico and. 1\ri zona..
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<br />r.l.lhe river and i,ts t:ri;Jutl1rics drain a vast area of app:::-oxi-
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<br />mately 242,000 s~uarc miles-about one-twelfth the area of t~c
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<br />continental United S'cates, excluding t;ie State of l',laska. Eos'c
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<br />of this large basin is so arid that it is largely dependent upon
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<br />controlled and rnanClgcd l:'S" ofelie ,'Iaters of the Colorado River
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<br />system to make it prodl,ctive and inhabitable. There is an aC:di-
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<br /><:::'0;,a1 area of 7,800 sqUiirc, miles, ,~hich includes the Inrerial i3.:Y,
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<br />C03chella VallC':-.7~ ir~ sot:t.Lcrn Californin., '"t'lhich is consi~',er(;,~ to ::<::
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<br />a part of the Lm'ier Colorado River Basin. The basin is div:,
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<br />~_.h0 Upper B.:tSj.:i , ~lhe:ce \.j.:\ters naturally drain into the Colo;:,.,.. ,"
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<br />:\.iver ~bovc Lee Ferry D.nd the Lower Basin, where watc~s drair~ i...-,t,-
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<br />.:.h.e river b-.;;lO\"r Lee :.:'crx-;,.
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<br />In '.:>,0 Lo-.-rer Basin, the diversion of water from the Color",,'o
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<br />:.V8r for agricultu:~,_.: purposes started, on a large sc~le, arou~(~
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<br />':".'(:;..~n (.,..
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<br />the ':~ntur'.'.
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<br />I'lorks to dl.vert water into i:he Im)Y _ '
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<br />,-..,--~_:.::.y 't',Tor(~ .:.;c.;"lplc'(.cd .I..~I ").001 as a private undcrtakj...,',. T1nat ::;':'.:l~,:"-
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<br />:,"'.1.'C, lar<jo diversion worl~s were also begun in tho 1',,10 Verdo V;:L,,::'.
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<br />~~c li~itcd and erractic na~urc of the river flows from year t~ ye~~
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<br />8271.300
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