hist-3182-photo-Trying to Ford the Deep River, Francisco Atanasio Domínguez

Colorado River

10,000 BCE – present

Emerging as a stream 10,000 feet high in the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River stretches 1,400 miles through 11 national parks and 5.5 million acres of farmland. The river flows through 7 U.S. states (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, California, and Arizona), northern Mexico, and 29 federally recognized Native American tribes. The river powers massive hydroelectric dams, supplies water for farmers and over 40 million people. The Colorado River supports a diverse range of ecosystems from mountains to deserts, all supported by a riparian environment, and the river basin boasts 65% of the species in the West. Beginning in 1922 with the Colorado River Compact, the river began to be diverted and the river’s water was over-allocated, beginning the era of overuse of the waterway’s resources. Since 1960, the increasingly depleted Colorado River has not regularly flowed to the sea, causing its delta to gradually wither to less than 10% of its original size.

BIRDS: 9 species are extinct and 10 are endangered
FISH: 4 species are endangered
MAMMALS: 8 species are endangered
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS: 2 reptile species are regionally extinct

The territory of the Colorado River watershed falls within the ancestral homelands of the Apache, Cocopah, Havasu Baaja, Hopitutskwa, Hualapai, Kwaatsan, Mojave, Navajom Nuwuvi, Pueblos, Southern Paiute, and Ute peoples.

Territorial recognition: https://native-land.ca/

Most Pressing Issues

Droughts

Since 2000, historic dry conditions, reducing precipitation and snow runoff, have characterized the Colorado River, known as the “Millennium Drought”. These unprecedented droughts have contributed to the shrinking water elevation levels along the river. Drought has additionally caused conditions for unmanageable wildfires to thrive and burn millions of acres of cropland.

Climate Change

The flow of the Colorado River has drastically changed due to warming and aridification as a result of climate change. Increased temperatures have caused more snow and rain runoff to evaporate before flowing into Colorado. Climate change has impacted weather patterns along the Colorado River system causing less water to flow. Major reservoirs have been particularly impacted by climate change: the water levels of Lakes Mead and Powell are critically low, hovering at a quarter capacity, and projected to continue to decline.

Habitat and species loss

Drought, climate warming and development have contributed to major loss of riparian land and wildlife along the Colorado River. Swaths of trees have been decimated by insects and disease caused by drought. Desert plants such as Washing fan palms, Joshua trees, and ocotillos have also suffered as a result of drought and climate change. Populations of desert pupfish, Gila topminnows, Humpback chub, and pronghorns, among other animal species that once thrived along the river, have declined due to reduced water levels, loss of habitat, and harsh conditions.

Invasive species

The introduction of nonnative species is a growing issue along the Colorado River and threatens the ecological well-being of the river’s wildlife. Native species are forced to compete with invasives for resources. The invasive tamarisk is among the many invasive plant species that take resources away from native plant life through its high rates of evapotranspiration and its contribution to the river basin’s salinity. Invasive species often act as new predators to local wildlife. For example, endangered fish of the Colorado have been at risk of extinction due to new threats from nonnative species such as the northern pike, smallmouth bass, and channel catfish.

How You Can Help

The Nature Conservancy Colorado River Program

The Nature Conservancy Colorado River Program works to integrate freshwater habitat needs into the normal course of business of water management.

Pronatura

Pronatura is a Mexican non-profit dedicated to the conservation of flora, fauna and priority ecosystems, promoting social development in harmony with nature.

Western Resource Advocates

Western Resource Advocates is a non-profit environmental law and policy organization dedicated to protecting the West’s land, air, and water.

Environmental Defense Fund — Restoring the Colorado River Delta

Environmental Defense Fund — Restoring the Colorado River Delta is working with government agencies & conservation organizations to provide 158,000 acre-feet of water for the Delta over the next several years.

Colorado Trout Unlimited

Colorado Trout Unlimited works to protect, conserve and restore Colorado’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.

Sources:

Karin Brulliard, “The Colorado River is in Crisis, and It’s Getting Worse Every Day,” The Washington Post, May 14, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2022/colorado-river-crisis/.

Steven Inskeep and John Berggren, “Historic drought and climate change push Colorado River to record low levels,” NPR, August 17, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/08/17/1117835119/historic-drought-and-climate-change-push-colorado-river-to-record-low-levels.

Alejandro de la Garza, “The Colorado River Drought Is a Cautionary Climate Tale,” Time, August 25, 2022, https://time.com/6208631/colorado-river-drought-climate-action/.

Dave Levitan, “The Colorado River drought is the first climate disaster the U.S. legally has to deal with,” Grid, July 25, 2022, https://www.grid.news/story/climate/2022/07/25/the-colorado-river-drought-is-the-first-climate-disaster-the-us-legally-has-to-deal-with/.

Emily Mae Czachor, “Lake Mead’s water level has never been lower. Here what that means,” CBS News, September 4, 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lake-mead-water-level-historic-low-drought-heres-what-that-means/.

Tara Lohan, “Left Out to Dry: Wildlife Threatened by Colorado River Basin Water Crisis,” The Revelator, September 12, 2022, https://therevelator.org/wildlife-colorado-river/.

Natalie Triedman, “Environment and Ecology of the Colorado River Basin,” Colorado College (2012): https://www.coloradocollege.edu/dotAsset/cbb78858-d078-4a7c-ba80-2040569abbdd.pdf.