Colorado is known for its vibrant mountains and is in a desirable position in the West as being a water producing state that has numerous mountain ranges from which the rivers are supplied. While the water provided by annual Colorado stream flows is more than enough,
“The seasonal nature of stream flows is not consistent with the demand by Colorado citizens for domestic, agriculture and industry uses. Nearly 2/3 of the annual water occurs during the late spring/early summer runoff. During the winter months of December, January and February only 3% of annual flows occur” (Waterinfo.org).
Currently, the Colorado reservoirs store the spring runoff from the mountain snowpack for later use during the late summer and the low flow winter months. The water storage units along the Colorado River system also provide some of the activities Colorado is known for such as: White water rafting, excellent fishing, and a few other sports, but it is also known for its hydro-electric power (Waterinfo.org).
Currently, the Colorado River provides water to Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico. The Colorado River is running low, and statewide reservoirs are running 83% lower than normal (Naturalnews.com). The biggest impact on climate change will be visible through the water cycle. Expectations of dry climates will become dryer and the wet climates will get wetter. Meaning we are seeing an intensification of the hydrologic cycle, which is expected to continue. The reason that is happening is because as the atmosphere warms it can hold more water. When evaporation happens and the water is moving off the land and into the atmosphere more of that water is held there. This is where evapotranspiration occurs. When ...
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...rotection Agency, 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Johnson, Rebecca. "Shrinking Snow Means Steep Slide for Ski Industry." PBS. PBS, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Mitton, Jeff. "Ecology." Learn More About Climate. University of Colorado at Boulder, 2013. Web. 16 Nov.
Pierson, B. "Devastating Long-term Drought Haunts U.S. Southwest: Water Wars under Way between Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming." NaturalNews. Natural News, 6 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.2013.
Udall, Brad. "Water & Energy/ Hotter Dryer Colordao." Learn More About Climate. University of Colorado at Boulder, 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. 2013.
"Water in Colorado - A Brief History." The Water Information Program | Providing Water Information to the Communities of Southwest Colorado. The Southwestern Water Conservation District and Participating Entities in the Four Corners Region., 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
The negative aspects of Glen Canyon Dam greatly exceed the positive aspects. The dam’s hydroelectric power supply is only three percent of the total power used by the six states that are served by the facility. There is a surplus of power on the Colorado Plateau and with more and more power-plants being created in the western hemisphere, Glen Canyon Dam’s power is not needed (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss). Although the ‘lake’ contains twenty seven million acre feet of water, one and a half million acre feet of water are lost yearly due to evaporation and seepage into the sandstone banks surrounding the ‘lake’ (Living Rivers: What about the water supply?). The loss of that much “water represents millions, even billions of dollars” (Farmer 183). If the government were to employ more water efficient irrigation practices, as much as five million acre feet of water per year could be saved.
Nebel, Bernard J., and Richard T. Wright. Environmental Science. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Droughts in Wyoming’s future are unpredictable and uncertain; however, Richard Guldin of the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station in Fort Collins, Colorado, has made some predictions for the water situati...
The authors; Abbott, Leonard, and Noel explain on page 6 of the textbook, what they meant about Colorado being the meeting grounds. According to the authors, Colorado is also sectioned and is connected to the three major sections in the US through the great rivers and mountain ranges. The Southwest portion of the US is connected to Colorado through the Rio Grande River. The Colorado River is connected to the plateau country and Western Mountain range of the US. The South Platte River and the Arkansas River connects Colorado to the Great Plains, leaving Colorado to be the center point, also referred to as the meeting point for the major sections in the US.
Conflict between residents in northern Nevada and SNWA has risen (Brean, 2015). In 2012 the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced its support of SNWA wanting to build a pipeline from rural Nevada to Las Vegas, rural Nevada being primarily in the northern portion of the state (Larsen et al., 2015). Residents including farmers who depend on water for their crops argue that redirecting water supplies would harm the environment and wildlife that inhabit northern Nevada (Brean, 2015). There is also an issue of oversubscription, this is due to the Colorado River not only supplying water to Nevada but neighboring states which include “Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah” (Wockner, 2014). Both Arizona and California are expecting water shortages in the future as they too depend on the Colorado River (Wockner, 2014).
Zeilig, Nancy. "Colorado Foundation for Water Education." Colorado Foundation for Water Education. Version Edition 1. Colorado Water Conservation Board; National Resource Conservation Service; Wright Water Engineers, Inc., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. . I used this online book for a state perspective on the track of water conservation and the way the state plans to expand it.
Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.
• Campbell E., Durisin M. (2014). California Farms Going Thirsty as Drought Burns $5 Billion Hole. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-29/california-farms-going-thirsty-as-drought-burns-5-billion-hole.html
The effects of water scarcity are relatively new for irrigators in the Klamath Basin as decreasing summer and spring snow melts have brought a re-examination of water priorities in the region. In times of drought, irrigators received priority in water allocation because of the prevailing legal rights and normative values at the time. The Klamath Wildlife Refuges and the Salmon received the leftover water that which was not needed for irrigation (Tarlock 2007). In 2001, the USFWS issued biological opinion reports that stated that because of the severe drought, water levels in both the Upper Klamath and Lower Klamath must be maintained at higher levels to preserve the endangered Coho Salmon and the Short nose and Lost
One of the ways Yuma’s geography impacted irrigation were the dryness and heat of the climate. Since essential nutrients are added to the soils by farmers, the overflowing of water from the Colorado River (due to excessive heat and evaporation leading to precipitation) pose threats to the irrigation and proper farming of crops. This called for solutions, like the Yuma Project, to build dams and levees to limit overflow. Consequently, geography had an impact on irrigation- Yuma’s hot climate made more overflow and opened the eyes of the Bureau of Reclamation on irrigation issues leading to fixes for
With the changes coming from global warming and increased greenhouse gasses, there will be many impacts to Texas over the coming decades. One of these impacts is the effect on our water resources. Texas’ main source of fresh water is precipitation, coming almost completely from rainfall. With temperatures rising and with an expectation that precipitation levels will most likely drop in coming years, this combination will put great stress on our water reservoirs. If we continue our current usage rates of water and if recent climate changes continue to persist then we will see a huge decrease in our water reservoirs. Also, given that we are in a drought, it appears that conditions are getting worse every year, posing a serious problem for the future if this issue is not addressed now.
The Colorado River, before Yuma was built, ran wild. The Colorado River met up with the Gila River in the table-flat floodplains. When irrigation was first created people used gates to control the water flow to the fields. But, before they used the gates a dam had to be built in order to control how much water is flowing. After the dam was built the farmers would open the gates to the fields and let water run in, after the amount of water was needed the people would close the gates and the river kept flowing. This made farmer’s lives
The Colorado River basin has been the focus of ongoing water disputes for numerous years. These disagreements encompass the seven states which lay claim for health reasons as well as economic necessity that their region has access to this water basin. According to Richards and Orr (2003), “At the heart, it is an issue of scarcity.” (p. 19). As in many places around the world, the demand for clean water is not able to be fulfilled by the supply available. In the case of the Colorado River, the increase in the area’s population combined with water needs of industry as well as the needs of agriculture have all resulted in an increased friction among parties requiring water access. Hence, the disputes among states regarding the Colorado River basin are not limited only to surface water, but in addition include the right of states to drill wells for irrigation which can often result in a decrease in the amount of water from the Colorado River (Richards & Orr, 2003). In an attempt to obtain the water they need for their city’s inhabitants as well the water needed for a city’s economic viability, California leaders have even attempted to buy rights to the area’s...
Americans today tend to believe that the Colorado River drought has been a recent occurrence, although drought relief strategies have been implemented since early 1997. To summarize, in the book The Colorado River Basin Drought Planning and Organizations, Colorado is named as the original state to acquire a drought relief plan. For instance, various assume water levels are diminutive in the Colorado and blame is due to the previous ten years of drought throughout the United States. Although it is true that water levels are at a record low, initial plans in the early 1920’s to introduce manufactured structures into the water basin is the original reason Colorado’s water system began to be compromised. It follows, then the supplementary natural
For about five years California has experienced above average temperatures and a lack of rain. This lack of rain and snowfall has caused California to become increasingly dry, starting arguments over whose right to water is more important and who needs to be more mindful with their use of water. Farming in California truly began during the gold rush when water was redirected to land where food was grown for those looking for gold (Siegler, 2015). The farmers that have stayed on that land now have senior water rights (“Water wars”, 2015). Farmers that settled their land before 1914 are those with senior water rights (Terrell, 2015). Governor Jerry Brown has called for a cut in water use by one-quarter percent to people living