Where does the Colorado River begin and end?
Colorado River, major river of North America, rising in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, U.S., and flowing generally west and south for 1,450 miles (2,330 kilometres) into the Gulf of California in northwestern Mexico.
How big is the Colorado River in miles?
At 1,450 miles long, the Colorado River is the sixth longest in the nation, passing through seven states and two nations. The Colorado basin spans 260,000 square miles, about 8 percent of the continental U.S.
Which is a tributary of the Colorado River?
The Gunnison, Green, San Juan, and Little Colorado are the main tributaries in the upper basin of the Colorado; the Gila is the chief tributary of the lower basin. Silt deposited by the Colorado has formed a great delta across the northern part of the Gulf of California,…
How is the flow of the Colorado River controlled?
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. Additionally, some of its waters are transported via a series of dams, tunnels, and canals into the Rio Grande watershed.
How big is the Colorado River basin in square miles?
The Colorado River Basin (CRB) drains 246,000 square miles and includes parts of California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, and all of Arizona (Basin States). This report contains water-use estimates by category of use for drainage basins (Hydrologic Unit Code 8; HUC‑8) within the CRB from 1985 to 2010, at 5-year intervals….
Is the lower Colorado River flanked by deserts?
Farther downstream the lower Colorado is flanked by two great deserts, the Mojave and the Sonoran. 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.
Is the Colorado River a focus area for the USGS?
As one of several Focus Area Studies within the USGS National Water Census (NWC), the USGS has completed a 3-year study of water availability and use in the Colorado River Basin. National Water Census • Colorado River Basin • Evapotranspiration • Snowpack • Water Use • Groundwater Discharge