London, H.A. Scarr, and M.L. Turner, Statistical Abstract of the United States, Washington, D.C., pp. 750. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.
"Congressional Speech." Washington D.C. Reed, B.N. (1998, December 30). States meeting standards of welfare law. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Retrieved October 16, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.jsonline.com/w2/welfare/stories/develop/1230welf.stm Regan, R. (1981).
Soon bureaucrats came together to create the Colorado River Project, wanting to create a series of dams along the Colorado River to create hydroelectric power and serve to control floods and droughts. With Buchanan dam well under way with a total of six planned Marshall Ford was the only dam designed primarily for flood control and the only dam in which USBR oversaw construction. With money scarce there was debate over the final height dam and it reservoir capacity. This issue resolves itself with the flood of 1938. Once completed Marshall Ford Dam would flood 65 miles of the Colorado to form Lake Travis, creating the largest of the seven reservoirs known as the Highland Lakes.
This underground reservoir covers 174,000 square miles. According to John Opie, author of Ogallala: Water for a Dry Land, the Ogallala was formed over the course of millions of years as the land flooded, dried out, and flooded again. As centuries passed, glaciers melted, carrying water, silt, and rocks from the Rockies down to the Great Plains to form the Ogalla. Dirt, clay, and rocks accumulated above it so that the waters of the Ogallala can now be reached at depths of 300 feet beneath the surface (29-35). Some people think that the Ogallala is a huge underground lake, but this idea is wrong.
This 45 years period is known as the golden age of dam building, starting with the construction of the Hoover Dam beginning in 1931. By the 1970s the golden age of dam construction began to come to an end with increased concerns of the impacts of dams on their surroundings. To better understand this time period I will look at the construction of Hoover Dam during the 1930’s followed by an examination many of today’s arguments for and against dams [i]. The need for a dam on the Colorado River was known decades before construction actually began due to the numerous destructive floods of the Colorado River. A need for water and electricity was also discovered to help with the development of the West.
Supporters of reservoir draining are fighting for what they call a dying ecosystem from the flooding of large areas and the destruction of much fi... ... middle of paper ... ...notes.pdf> Franklin, Chris “Let the Colorado River run free” Earth Island Journal Spring 97: 23. “Glen Canyon: Just Drain It!” Earth Island Journal, Autumn 2000: 24. McManus, Reed “Down Come the Dams” Sierra Mau/June 98: 16. Ostapuk, Paul. Exposing Sierra Club and Glen Canyon Institute Myths.
Due to climate change, human demand, natural forces like evaporation and human-induced climate change this water supply is in conflict. Also, a recent change that began in March of 2014 will bring a temporary water surge to the delta of the Colorado River for the first time in many years to help restore this region, and it’s possible it could reach the Sea of Cortez once again. The Colorado River is a very large river that encompasses a 246,000 square mile river basin region in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico (Shannon, 2014). It runs for a total of 1,450 miles and travels through many land boundaries starting with Colorado where it originates. This origin is located in Rocky Mountain National Park a... ... middle of paper ... ...e Drying of the American Southwest | Center for Immigration Studies."
Even the name of the river and consequentially the valley is a native word meaning "crooked river"(“Industrialization”). This name was given because the river has many twists and turns and flows north and south. The history of this park goes back as far as the ice age. The first people to roam this vast valley were known as Paleo Indians... ... middle of paper ... ...s cool all year round. Park goers have the opportunity to hike and climb around the ledges and explore the caverns (“Ritchie Ledges”).
Temperate Rainforest The heavy rains (150 inches a year) are famous in the Pacific Northwest and have created a lush, mossy and primeval-looking forest of enormous trees. Generally on the western side of the park, there are several ways to ... ... middle of paper ... ... heavy precipitation year-round which closes the roads in winter. Mima Mounds These mounds are a phenomena where hundreds of dome-like hills naturally occur, but have no geological explanation. Mima Mounds protects a field and forest, 1.5 miles long where you can take a trail leads you around the formations. This natural wonder is located to the south, outside of Olympia.
The question is should Lake Powell be refilled? History In 1922 the Colorado River Compact was organized. This organization allocated the resources of the Colorado River and its tributaries. The Upper Basin States (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming) realized that the Colorado River Compact had overestimated the river’s annual flow and wanted to guarantee their water rights. The only way the Upper Basin states saw fit to ensure their water was to literally hold onto their water in reservoirs.