The Colorado River Basin An Overtapped Resource By Christina Maynard

Length & Location The Colorado River flows 2,300 kilometers (1,400 miles) from the mountains of central Colorado to the Mexican border and eventually to the Gulf of California.

Consists Of In the past 50 years the once free flowing river is now constructed with a huge plumbing system consisting of 14 major dams and reservoirs, hundreds of smaller dams, and a network of aqueducts and canals that supply water to farmers, ranchers, and cities.

Provides & supplies Electricity from hydroelectric plants at major dams, water for more than 25 million people in seven states, and water used to grow about 15% of the nation’s produce and livestock. Also supports a multibillion-dollar recreation industry of whitewater rafting, boating, fishing, camping, and hiking. Supplies water to some of the nation’s hottest and driest cities.

Problems 1. The Colorado River Basin includes some of the driest lands in the United States and Mexico. 2. Since the legal pacts in 1944 and 1922 they allowed more water for human use in the U.S. and Mexico than the river can supply(even in years without the drought) 3. Because of so many withdrawals, since 1960 the river has rarely made it to the Gulf of California except during a few years with higher than normal precipitation. This threatens the survival of species that spawn the river, destroys estuaries that serve as breeding grounds for numerous aquatic species, and increases saltwater contamination of aquifers near the coast.

Usage About 80% of the water withdrawn from the Colorado has been used