How many people live in the Colorado River basin?
40 million people
Approximately 40 million people currently live in the Colorado River basin and depend on its water. Each of those people places a “demand” on the water in the basin.
What kind of animals live in the Colorado River?
Lin Piest, wildlife specialist with the AZGFD said that animals that are more likely to be found on the Colorado River are as follows: waterfowl, coots, herons, egrets, ospreys, owls, various songbirds, coyotes, bighorn sheep, burros, raccoons, beavers, musk rats, rodents, bats and lizards.
What are five facts about the Colorado River?
The entire length of the Colorado River is 1,450 miles. The Colorado River is the 5th longest river in the United States of America. The Colorado River is the 47th longest river in the world. The average depth of the Colorado River is around 20 feet.
Does anything live in the Colorado River?
Wildlife of the area is primarily limited to desert species like the coyote, bobcat, desert cottontail, Black-tailed jackrabbit, desert woodrat, Merriam’s kangaroo rat and the Greater Roadrunner. The Colorado River is historically a travel corridor for many species of migratory birds, waterfowl and native songbirds.
What does the Colorado River basin do?
Today, the Colorado River is still used for irrigation , but it is also used to generate hydroelectric power and to supply water to distant urban areas. The Colorado River has been a central feature in the history and development of the American West.
What is the purpose of the Colorado River basin?
The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water to nearly 40 million people for municipal use, supply water to irrigate nearly 5.5 million acres of land, and is the lifeblood for at least 22 federally recognized tribes, 7 National Wildlife Refuges, 4 National Recreation Areas, and 11 National Parks.
Are there sharks in the Colorado River?
The sharks that we will be studying have also found refuge in the warm, salty waters of the Little Colorado River (the salt is hiked in daily by mules along the Salt Trail).
What is the Colorado River famous for?
Known for its dramatic canyons, whitewater rapids, and eleven U.S. National Parks, the Colorado River and its tributaries are a vital source of water for 40 million people.
How old is the Colorado River?
six million years ago
In close proximity, another canyon was carved, about 20 million years ago. Then, just six million years ago, snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains began seeking a path to the ocean, and the rushing water took advantage of these canyons as it headed west to the Pacific, ultimately becoming the Colorado River.
What is the Colorado River basin?
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).
What are the facts about the Colorado River?
Facts about Colorado River present the information about one of the primary rivers in northern Mexico and Southwestern United States. The length of the river is 2,330 kilometer or 1,450 miles. The river drains in two Mexican states and seven states in United States.
Who was the first person to live along the Colorado River?
The earliest settlers along the Colorado River Basin are believed to be the Paleo-Indians, who belonged to the Clovis and other cultures. They are estimated to have landed up at this location over 12,000 years ago. The Colorado River is the most important river for southwestern United States.
How is the Colorado River used for agriculture?
Today, 78% of the water from the Colorado River is used for agricultural purposes. The concentrations of some of these minerals are now sufficiently high in some areas of the basin as to threaten the viability of agriculture there, as well as causing local water quality issues.
What kind of animals live along the Colorado River?
▶ Animals like the mule deer, elk, mountain sheep, bobcat, mountain lion, coyote, and beaver, and many varieties of birds inhabit areas along the river. ▶ The forests found along the river range from coniferous and alpine, to semi-arid and completely arid, containing more than 1,000 different varieties of plants.