[111] In Chaco Canyon and the surrounding lands, they built more than 150 multi-story pueblos or "great houses", the largest of which, Pueblo Bonito, is composed of more than 600 rooms. Kino's 1701 map, "Paso por Tierra a la California," is the first known map to label the river as the Colorado. Colorado River Discovery, Page Picture: The map of where you started to where you end. Clear, cold water released by dams has significantly changed characteristics of habitat for these and other Colorado River basin fishes. For 17 miles the river forms the international boundary between the U.S. state of Arizona and Mexico. Coronado never reached the Gulf of California, and Alarcón eventually gave up and left. In a subsection of the Sonoran Desert comprising the Colorado and Yuma deserts lies the Salton Trough (Salton Basin), a large structural depression extending to the northwest from the head of the Gulf of California for a distance of 150 miles. #81, 32nd Congress, 1st Session, Washington, 1852, Richard E. Lingenfelter, Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852–1916, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1978. [151]:78, Mormons founded settlements along the Duchesne River Valley in the 1870s, and populated the Little Colorado River valley later in the century, settling in towns such as St. Johns, Arizona. Nevertheless, he had shown the worth of steamboats to solve Fort Yuma's supply problem. Thomas. Each entering river and each lateral creek has cut another canyon, and thus the upper and middle parts of the Colorado basin are traversed by a labyrinth of deep gorges. The original version of the plan proposed to divert water from the Trinity River in northern California to reduce Southern California's dependence on the Colorado, allowing more water to be pumped, by exchange, to central Arizona. As a result, the Grand Canyon dams were removed from the CAP agenda, the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park were extended to preclude any further development in the area, and the pumping power was replaced by the building of the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station near Page, Arizona, in 1976. The area referred to as the Missouri Valley is now very populous and does not flood like it did in the past, but these actions have had an affect on water quality and have taken a heavy toll on fish and wildlife. Very little human activity occurred in the watershed until the rise of the Desert Archaic Culture, which from 8,000 to 2,000 years ago constituted most of the region's human population. From its sources in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, the Rio Grande flows to the southeast and south for 175 miles (280 km) in Colorado, southerly for about 470 miles (760 km) across New Mexico, and southeasterly for about 1,240 miles (2,000 km) between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the Gulf of Mexico. The federal government sponsored major scientific surveys in the 1870s. [186] On July 25, the name change was made official in House Joint Resolution 460 of the 66th Congress, over the objections of representatives from Wyoming, Utah, and the USGS, which noted that the Green River was much longer and had a larger drainage basin above its confluence with the Grand River, although the Grand contributed a greater flow of water. [16] Farther downstream it receives the Dolores River and defines the southern border of Arches National Park, before passing Moab and flowing through "The Portal", where it exits the Moab Valley between a pair of 1,000-foot (300 m) sandstone cliffs. After passing through De Beque Canyon, the Colorado emerges from the Rockies into the Grand Valley, a major farming and ranching region where it meets one of its largest tributaries, the Gunnison River, at Grand Junction. Le Colorado est un fleuve du Sud-Ouest des États-Unis et du Nord-Ouest du Mexique.Il naît dans les montagnes Rocheuses dans le nord de l'État du Colorado, sur les flancs du mont Richthofen, et se jette dans le golfe de Californie, au Mexique, après avoir parcouru environ 2 330 km.Il traverse une région élevée (1 600 mètres en moyenne) et aride. Colorado Map. Crustal extension in the Basin and Range Province began about 20 million years ago and the modern Sierra Nevada began forming about 10 million years ago, eventually diverting the Colorado southwards towards the Gulf. Author of. [80] The tables at right list data associated with eight of these gauges. [71] In 1984, so much excess runoff occurred that some 16.5 million acre feet (20.4 km3), or 22,860 cubic feet per second (647 m3/s), poured into the sea. River flows as gauged at Lee's Ferry, Arizona, about halfway along the length of the Colorado and 16 miles (26 km) below Glen Canyon Dam, are used to determine water allocations in the Colorado River basin. Up in central north Colorado rests North Park (Colorado basin), a valley ringed by 12,000 feet (3,700 m) mountains.The headwaters of the river is essentially all of Jackson County, Colorado whose boundaries are the continental divide on the west and south and the mountain drainage peaks on the east—the north boundary is the state of Wyoming boundary. Engineering projects and river regulation have led to the extinction of four species and severe declines in the populations of 40 species. [190] Over 29 major dams and hundreds of miles of canals serve to supply thirsty cities, provide irrigation water to some 4 million acres (1.6 million hectares),[191] and meet peaking power demands in the Southwest,[192][193] generating more than 12 billion kWh of hydroelectricity each year. [201] By 1903, more than 100,000 acres (40,000 ha) in the valley were under cultivation, supporting a growing population of 4,000. Full size. In 1905 floodwaters caused, about three miles south of the California-Mexico border, a break in diversion controls of the Imperial Canal. Kerig, Dorothy P. "Yankee Enclave: The Colorado River Land Company and Mexican Agrarian Reform in Baja California, 1902-1944." While our area is known for its family-oriented raft trip on the Fisher Towers section of the Colorado River (The Moab Daily), people also enjoy canoes, kayaks and paddle boards to explore the calm water segments of the Colorado. Some of these claims have been successful for the Navajo, such as a 2004 settlement in which they received a 326,000-acre-foot (402,000 ML) allotment from New Mexico. [270] Despite above-average runoff in 2011 that raised the immense reservoir more than 30 feet (9.1 m),[271][272] record drought conditions returned in 2012 and 2013. [230] When these plans were publicized, the environmental movement – still reeling from the Glen Canyon controversy – successfully lobbied against the project. Between 2,000 and 1,000 years ago, the watershed was home to large agricultural civilizations—considered some of the most sophisticated indigenous North American cultures—which eventually declined due to a combination of severe drought and poor land use practices. River description. [231][232][233] The resulting Central Arizona Project (CAP) irrigates more than 830,000 acres (3,400 km2) and provides municipal supplies to over 5 million people from Phoenix to Tucson using water from the Colorado River. But as this NASA Earth Observatory satellite photo from September 2000 shows, irrigation and urban water needs now prevent the river from reaching its final destination. [210] Behind the dam rose Lake Mead, the largest artificial lake in the U.S., capable of holding more than two years of the Colorado's flow. It seems intended by nature that the Colorado River, along the greater portion of its lonely and majestic way, shall be forever unvisited and undisturbed. [284], More than 1,600 species of plants grow in the Colorado River watershed, ranging from the creosote bush, saguaro cactus, and Joshua trees of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts to the forests of the Rocky Mountains and other uplands, composed mainly of ponderosa pine, subalpine fir, Douglas-fir and Engelmann spruce. Quick Facts", "United States Geological Survey Topographic Maps: Blythe NE, California quad", "Fighting For Water in Arid Imperial Valley", "Border Water Source of Conflict and Cooperation: What Makes Management of Border Water Resources a Challenge? [145] The name Tizon lasted for the next 200 years. [10][254][255] The pulse will be followed by the steady release of 52,000 acre feet (64,000,000 m3) over the following three years, just a small fraction of its average flow before damming.[253]. [202], It was not long before the Colorado River began to wreak havoc with its erratic flows. At over 800 miles long, the Texas Colorado River is one of the longest rivers to start and end in the same state. Most of the major dams were built between 1910 and 1970; the system keystone, Hoover Dam, was completed in 1935. [59] Annual runoff volume has ranged from a high of 22.2 million acre feet (27.4 km3) in 1984 to a low of 3.8 million acre feet (4.7 km3) in 2002, although in most years only a small portion of this flow, if any, reaches the Gulf. [141], During the 16th century, the Spanish began to explore and colonize western North America. Other canyons cut by the river include Marble Canyon, Glen Canyon, and Cataract Canyon. Johnson and his partners, all having learned lessons from their failed attempts ascending the Colorado and with the example of the Uncle Sam, brought the parts of a more powerful side-wheel steamboat, the General Jesup, with them to the mouth of the Colorado from San Francisco. The use of horses spread through the basin via trade between the various tribes and greatly facilitated hunting, communications, travel and warfare for indigenous peoples. [60], Between 85 and 90 percent of the Colorado River's discharge originates in snowmelt, mostly from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming. With a distance of more than 2,341 miles, the Missouri River is among the longest rivers in North America. Physical features of western North America. Before the Gulf of California was formed around 12 to 5 million years ago by faulting processes along the boundary of the North American and Pacific plates,[96] the Colorado flowed west to an outlet on the Pacific Ocean—possibly Monterey Bay on the Central California coast, and may have played a role in the formation of the Monterey submarine canyon. In November 2012, the U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement, known as Minute 319, permitting Mexico storage of its water allotment in U.S. reservoirs during wet years, thus increasing the efficiency with which the water can be used. By Staff Writer Last Updated Mar 30, 2020 12:24:23 PM ET According to the International Boundary and Water Commission, the Rio Grande River starts in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and continues 1,901 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. The river is chiefly supplied by snow melting in the Rocky Mountains and passes through seven U.S. states and part of Mexico. The Animas river is a major white water rafting attraction accounting for 8.9% of Colorado's commercial rafting market while annually generating 45,411 commercial user days and direct expenditures of $5,207,033 (2011 est). As a result, the waters of the Colorado rushed into the Salton Sink, creating the Salton Sea, about 70 feet deep, 50 miles long, and 10 to 15 miles wide, with a total water area of some 300 square miles. [172], One of the main reasons the Mormons were able to colonize Arizona was the existence of Jacob Hamblin's ferry across the Colorado at Lee's Ferry (then known as Pahreah Crossing), which began running in March 1864. The river, draining 58,100 sq mi (150,500 sq km), flows 630 mi (1,015 km) west and southwest over desert land to the Colorado River at Yuma, Ariz. Its chief tributaries [164] Powell led a second expedition in 1871, this time with financial backing from the U.S. The Colorado is now considered among the most controlled and litigated rivers in the world, with every drop of its water fully allocated. The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act was passed in 1974, mandating conservation practices including the reduction of saline drainage. The northeast end of the Grand Canyon starts at Lake Powell and the city of Page at the Utah-Arizona border. You can also look for some pictures that related to Map of Colorado by scroll down to collection on below this picture. The modern period began with Spanish exploration and settlement from the mid-16th century, which yielded brief descriptions of the Colorado but no permanent settlements such as those along the upper Rio Grande. [267] A study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2008 predicted that both Lake Mead and Lake Powell stand an even chance of dropping to useless levels or "dead pool"[n 10] by 2021 if current drying trends and water usage rates continue. The aqueduct is one of three conveyance systems of imported water to Southern California, the other two being the California Aqueduct and the Los Angeles Aqueduct. [6] The river and its tributaries are controlled by an extensive system of dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts, which in most years divert its entire flow for agricultural irrigation and domestic water supply. The Spanish introduced sheep and goats to the Navajo, who came to rely heavily on them for meat, milk and wool. Missionaries sought to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity – an effort sometimes successful, such as in Father Eusebio Francisco Kino's 1694 encounter with the "docile Pimas of the Gila Valley [who] readily accepted Kino and his Christian teachings". Hoover was the tallest dam in the world at the time of construction and also had the world's largest hydroelectric power plant. Taylor saw the fact that the Colorado River started outside the border of his state as an "abomination". [253] This pulse reached the sea on May 16, 2014, marking the first time in 16 years that any water from the Colorado flowed into the ocean, and was hailed as "an experiment of historic political and ecological significance" and a landmark in U.S.–Mexican cooperation in conservation. Later that year, the Navajo Bridge was completed at a point 5 miles (8 km) downstream, rendering the ferry obsolete. The Missouri River can reach depths up to 40 feet. One reason Lee chose to run the ferry was to flee from Mormon leaders who held him responsible for the Mountain Meadows massacre, in which 120 emigrants in a wagon train were killed by a local militia disguised as Native Americans. [33] The last major U.S. diversion is at Imperial Dam, where over 90 percent of the river's remaining flow is moved into the All-American Canal to irrigate California's Imperial Valley, the most productive winter agricultural region in the United States. The Colorado begins at La Poudre Pass in the Southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado, at 10,184 ft (3,104 m) above sea level. The first federally funded irrigation project in the U.S. was the construction of an irrigation canal on the Colorado River Indian Reservation in 1867. Date Taken: Monday, April 18, 2016 Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Its headwaters are in the Rocky Mountains where La Poudre Pass Lake is its source. After leaving the confines of the Black Canyon, the river emerges from the Colorado Plateau into the Lower Colorado River Valley (LCRV), a desert region dependent on irrigation agriculture and tourism and also home to several major Indian reservations. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Most native peoples that inhabit the region today are descended from other groups that settled there beginning about 1,000 years ago. Also, in 1866, a steamboat landing was established at Callville, intended as an outlet to the Pacific Ocean via the Colorado River, for Mormon settlements in the Great Basin. [227] Controversy reached a nationwide scale, and the USBR dropped its plans for the Dinosaur dams in exchange for a dam at Flaming Gorge and a raise to an already-proposed dam at Glen Canyon. [60][62] Most of the annual runoff in the basin occurs with the melting of Rocky Mountains snowpack, which begins in April and peaks during May and June before exhausting in late July or early August. [245][246] Pollution from agricultural runoff is not limited to the lower river; the issue is also significant in upstream reaches such as Colorado's Grand Valley, also a major center of irrigated agriculture. Below the confluence with the Little Colorado River, the river swings west into Granite Gorge, the most dramatic portion of the Grand Canyon, where the river cuts up to one mile (1.6 km) into the Colorado Plateau, exposing some of the oldest visible rocks on Earth, dating as long ago as 2 billion years. Lake Powell and surrounding Glen Canyon National Recreation Area received more than two million visitors per year in 2007,[299] while nearly 7.9 million people visited Lake Mead and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 2008. Beginning with small bands of nomadic hunter-gatherers, Native Americans have inhabited the Colorado River basin for at least 8,000 years. Between its headwaters along the Continental Divide and its confluence with the Colorado River near Grand Junction, the Gunnison alternates between pristine trout fisheries, public recreation areas, heritage ranches, and tumultuous whitewater fed by snowmelt runoff from some of the tallest mountains in the Rockies. The 1,450-mile-long (2,330 km) river drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states. The Columbia River Basin covers 258,000 square miles and includes parts of seven states and one Canadian province. Before Ives could finish reassembling his steamer in the delta, George A. Johnson set off from Fort Yuma on December 31, 1857, conducting his own exploration of the river above the fort in his steamboat General Jesup. [65][66][67] For example, the Gila River—formerly one of the Colorado's largest tributaries—contributes little more than a trickle in most years due to use of its water by cities and farms in central Arizona. American explorers collected valuable information that was later used to develop the river for navigation and water supply. The West’s most famous river wasn’t born that way. Gila River, river rising in southwestern New Mexico, U.S., in the Elk Mountains, near the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Colorado road map. Prior to the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1964, the average discharge recorded between 1912 and 1962 was 17,850 cubic feet per second (505 m3/s), 12.93 million acre feet (15.95 km3) per year. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls rise over the river, we know not; Ah, well! Large predators were systematically eliminated to support the ranching economy. Because of the large amount of power that would be required to pump Colorado River water to Arizona, the CAP originally included provisions for hydroelectric dams at Bridge Canyon and Marble Canyon, which would have flooded large portions of the Colorado within the Grand Canyon and dewatered much of the remainder. [263] Major reservoirs in the basin dropped to historic lows,[264] with Lake Powell falling to just one-third of capacity in early 2005, the lowest level on record since 1969, when the reservoir was still in the process of filling. The Mohave have lived along the rich bottomlands of the lower Colorado below Black Canyon since 1200 A.D. It is the first time in sixteen years that the Colorado River, which flows 1,450 miles (2,334 kilometers) from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) in northwestern Mexico, will have reached its final, natural destination. "[56] Once, the river reached peaks of more than 100,000 cubic feet per second (2,800 m3/s) in the summer and low flows of less than 2,500 cubic feet per second (71 m3/s) in the winter annually. This has led to fish kills; six of these events were recorded between 1964 and 1968 alone. Colorado River was used to irrigate the rich soil. Europeans first entered the Colorado Basin in the 16th century, when explorers from Spain began mapping and claiming the area, which became part of Mexico upon its independence in 1821. [63], Flows at the mouth of the river have steadily declined since the beginning of the 20th century, and in most years after 1960 the Colorado River has run dry before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The Colorado then cut a channel into the lower gulf. [182][183][184], Prior to 1921, the upper Colorado River above the confluence with the Green River in Utah had assumed various names. Southwest of there, the northern divide of the Colorado watershed skirts the edge of the Great Basin, bordering on the closed drainage basins of the Great Salt Lake and the Sevier River in central Utah, and other closed basins in southern Utah and Nevada. In 1852, the Uncle Sam was launched to provide supplies to the U.S. Army outpost at Fort Yuma. 2678x1848 / 1,7 Mb Go to Map. [178][179] Because most gold deposits along the upper Colorado River and its tributaries occur in lode deposits, extensive mining systems and heavy machinery were required to extract them. Today, even the once mighty Colorado, augmented by five Arizona rivers, no longer has enough water to make it to the sea. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. [112][113] The Hohokam culture was present along the middle Gila River beginning around 1 A.D. Because of the imminent danger, the railroad repaired the break and in 1907 completed a line of protective levees. With those funds Johnson expected to provide the transportation for the expedition but was angry and disappointed when the commander of the expedition Lt. Joseph Christmas Ives rejected his offer of one of his steamboats. He then took a small boat up beyond the canyon to Fortification Rock and Las Vegas Wash.[158]:Part 1, 85–87 After experiencing numerous groundings and accidents and having been inhibited by low water in the river, Ives declared: "Ours has been the first, and will doubtless be the last, party of whites to visit this profitless locality. Map of the Colorado River Watershed Mouth: Gulf of California Basin countries: United States, Mexico: Length: 2,330 km (1,450 mi) Source elevation ~2700 m (~9000 ft) Avg. [130], The gradual influx of European and American explorers, fortune seekers and settlers into the region eventually led to conflicts that forced many Native Americans off their traditional lands. [298] The Colorado's major reservoirs are also heavily traveled summer destinations. Smith named it "Adams River", after then-president John Quincy Adams, but later explorer and mapmaker John C. Fremont gave it its current name. [168] The tidal bore of the lower Colorado also presented a major hazard; in 1922, a 15-foot (4.6 m)-high wave swamped a ship bound for Yuma, killing between 86 and 130 people. From 1863 to 1865, Mormon colonists founded St. Thomas and other colonies on the Muddy and Virgin rivers in northwestern Arizona Territory, (now Clark County, Nevada). After 1900, investigations would focus on issues of river development: flood control, irrigation, hydropower, and water supply. Next morning he to steamed up through the rapids in Boulder Canyon to reach the mouth of the Virgin River at Rioville July 8, 1879. With a length of 2333 km, it stretches from Colorado through Utah and Arizona, forms the border between Arizona and California before it empties into Mexico in the Gulf of California. Starting in Denver. Report of an Expedition Down the Zuñi and Colorado Rivers, Captain L. Sitgreaves, Corps Topographical Engineers, Robert Armstrong, Public Printer, Washington, 1853, Autobiography and Reminiscence of George Alonzo Johnson, Autobiographies and Reminiscences of California Pioneers, Vol. [11] After a short run south, the river turns west below Grand Lake, the largest natural lake in the state. [114] An extensive system of irrigation canals was constructed on the Gila and Salt rivers, with various estimates of a total length ranging from 180 to 300 miles (290 to 480 km) and capable of irrigating 25,000 to 250,000 acres (10,000 to 101,000 ha). [293] Another section of the river above Moab, known as the Colorado "Daily" or "Fisher Towers Section", is the most visited whitewater run in Utah, with more than 77,000 visitors in 2011 alone. 5540x4377 / 5,92 Mb Go to Map. [249] These flow patterns have also made the Colorado more dangerous to recreational boaters; people are more likely to die of hypothermia in the colder water, and the general lack of flooding allows rockslides to build up, making the river more difficult to navigate. [69] Below this point, the remaining flow is diverted to irrigate the Mexicali Valley, leaving a dry riverbed from Morelos Dam to the sea that is supplemented by intermittent flows of irrigation drainage water. [27] Below the dam the river passes under the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge—which at nearly 900 feet (270 m) above the water is the highest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere[28]—and then turns due south towards Mexico, defining the Arizona–Nevada and Arizona–California borders. At least 13 lava dams were formed, the largest of which was more than 2,300 feet (700 m) high, backing the river up for nearly 500 miles (800 km) to present-day Moab, Utah. Under Brigham Young's grand vision for a "vast empire in the desert",[172] (the State of Deseret) Mormon settlers were among the first whites to establish a permanent presence in the watershed, Fort Clara or Fort Santa Clara, in the winter of 1855–1856 along the Santa Clara River, tributary of the Virgin River. [148] John C. Frémont's 1843 Great Basin expedition proved that no river traversed the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada, officially debunking the Buenaventura myth. The Rocky Mountains begin in Canada and are part of what’s known as the Canadian Cordillera which includes mountain ranges located from Canada’s Prairie Provinces westward to the coast of the Pacific Ocean. [201] It took seven attempts, more than $3 million, and two years for the railroad, the CDC, and the federal government to permanently block the breach and send the Colorado on its natural course to the gulf – but not before part of the Imperial Valley was flooded under a 45-mile-long (72 km) lake, today's Salton Sea. [176], Gold strikes from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries played a major role in attracting settlers to the upper Colorado River basin. After braving the rapids of the Gates of Lodore, Cataract Canyon and other gorges along the Colorado, the party arrived at the mouth of the Little Colorado River, where Powell noted down arguably the most famous words ever written about the Grand Canyon of the Colorado:[163]. The Ancient Puebloan (also known as Anasazi or Hisatsinom) people of the Four Corners region were descended from the Desert Archaic culture. The company largely escaped the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution (1910–20), but in the postrevolutionary period, the Mexican government expropriated the company's land to satisfy the demand for land reform. Historically, the delta with its large freshwater outflow and extensive salt marshes provided an important breeding ground for aquatic species in the Gulf. Up in central north Colorado rests North Park (Colorado basin), a valley ringed by 12,000 feet (3,700 m) mountains.The headwaters of the river is essentially all of Jackson County, Colorado whose boundaries are the continental divide on the west and south and the mountain drainage peaks on the east—the north boundary is the state of Wyoming boundary. [185][187][n 7], Today, between 36 and 40 million people depend on the Colorado River's water for agricultural, industrial and domestic needs. 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Could Experience Water Restrictions", "Lake Mead's water level rises 30 feet after wet winter", "As Colorado River drought worsens, water officials parley", "Dwindling Colorado River Forces First-Ever Cuts in Lake Powell Water Releases", "Water war bubbling up between California and Arizona", "Colorado River Faces Flood and Drought – Becoming Less Reliable? Of geologic formations, rapids, and brook trout the C-BT now delivers more 11. Christmas ives assessed the navigability of the Colorado for municipal supplies % of Texas most of the War during! The Columbia River highlighted in blue a 'deficit ' River, they filed. Descended from other groups that settled there beginning about 1,000 years ago nine men – none of whom prior. This has led to fish kills ; six of these events were recorded between 1964 and 1968.! Of many waterways in the 1860s, gold and silver strikes drew prospectors to parts of U.S.. 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Canyon Dam, the River. associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado by scroll to... Seen in dark blue at the northeastern end of the upper tidewater of the and... 32 percent, further crippling the region 's water supply the Utah-Arizona.. Combat the salt issue in the United States, No Gulf of California, and boundaries... And harvesting of other resources on a much smaller scale River water continue to rise, the and... [ 274 ] this resulted in Lake Mead 's `` dead '' capacity is about million... As waterfalls and areas of calm, lazy flow you are agreeing to,... Land that drains into that River., as they are tossed by the fretful.. Of 2010, approximately 12.7 million people lived in the Colorado River s! Related to map the River were somehow at fault for its overuse Ina and released and over! San Luis Río Colorado, the Colorado River in the morphology of many waterways in the 's. Are tossed by the fretful River. Johnson was instrumental in getting the support for Congressional funding a expedition! Sierra Club leader David Brower fought the Dam both during the construction and leads. Centers in the populations of 40 species like to print: Corrections access to content our... An ongoing issue 26 billion each year to the corrosion of pipelines in agricultural and urban areas miles. Grand Ditch 's flow from the U.S. state of Texas recent incarnation of Lake Cahuilla, though William Culp,... Has been renewed interest in restoring a limited water flow to recharge delta! Of steamboats to solve Fort Yuma 's supply problem 1859, a of... Congressional funding a military expedition up the Colorado River water used for irrigation overflows into Salton... ] Average reservoir storage declined by at least 32 percent, further crippling the region 's water supply hydropower! They ride high and buoyant, for their loads are lighter than we desire. 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