WSP10502 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

River of Too Much for Too -little ::"1 Colorado River Basin The Colorado RIver gathers its water from a huge quartUom1ll1oD aquare--mUe water- shed. The Colorado River Basin, more than 1/12 of the continental land area in the United States, stretches over parts of seven western states, referred to as the -.even basin states:: Colorado, WyomIng, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and" California. The Colorado River starts tricklIng down from the snowcapped Rocky'MountaIns. fed by melting snow. Along Its 1400-mlle Journey to the Gulf of California. It Is Joined by tributaries that Include the: Gunnison. Creen. Dolores, Yampa, White. San Juan, Ut~ tie Colorado, Bill WUUams, and GIla RIvers. lIi;;" The River drops over 12,000 feet In elevatIon from Its source In the Rocldcs.-a deeper drop than any other river In the United States-meandering through the parched Sonaran Desert In Me.xlco to mingle with the Sea of Cortez. Limited Resource As mountain springs and melting snow form small rivulets at the beginnIng of the river, each drop Is already planned Cor by water users downstream.. The Colorado Is one 01. the nation's first major river. to reach the point where Its entire now Is over..appor- Uoned. So, It has become a local point 01 debate for water supply and environmental issues throughout the naUon and the world. The challenge today Is to limIt the demands on Colorad.o River water or to conserve the rIver water in order to serve more needs with the same amount 01 water~ The only other posslblIlty Is to somehow Increase the amount of water avAilable. How'the Colorado River Is managed In the future may hold solutlofls (or balancing the Volted States' nnlle river resources against ever-ln- creasing demands ~d needs. Fad SheelltJ UNPREDICT ABILITY in earlier years earned the Colorado River the reputa- tion of being a river of too much or too lit- tle. Now it is one of the most regulated rivers in the world. The Colorado River is also one of the most im- portant rivers in the United States, providing water to over 15 million people in the southwestern U.S. The users of the river's water include the south- western cities of Denver, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and numerous smaller cities and towns In the Southwest. Ribbon of Life The Colorado River has be-- come a ribbon of life to the southwest U.S. However, this lUeline of water cannot be ex- tended to all dry areas, so most land remains desert. Despite Its length and the size of Its watershed, the Colorado RJver ranks only about slxth among the nation's rivers In terms 01 the volume of Its nows. Its long-term depend- able average annual now Is only about 15 million acre-.feet, less than the Sacramento RJver. In the Northwest, the Columbia RJver's drainage basin Is comparable In size to the Colorado's, but Its flow is about 12 times greater than the now of the Colorado. Water Allotments The rights to the use of water In the Colorado RJver Basin belong to the seven basin states and Mexico. They divert the water for municipal and In- dustrlal purposes and for Ir- rigation. The water Is diverted not only within the Colorado RJver Basin, but some is also transported outside the basin. Colorado RJver water Is diverted: ,. under the Continental DIvide to the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains In Colorado; ,. In Utah to the Salt l..ake V~ley; ,. In New Mexico to the RJo Grande River Basin: ,. In CalIfornia through the Colorado River Aqueduct to the Los Angel~ aDd San Diego areas south to the Mexican border; B'aler.s of the. Colorado Series