With the Colorado River as the leading water supply for 30 million people, will the decreased water levels impact states so massively it will become irreversible? Three main reasons why examining/ monitoring conditions of the Colorado River are essential are agricultural purposes, biodiversity/ environmental and population in arid regions.
The Colorado River’s annual water flow averages around 13.25 million acre feet. Two thirds of this water is allocated to other states via agreed upon contracts. Since the state of Colorado provides water to more than twenty states throughout the West, Mideast, and South, Colorado’s water is in high demand. The water is used for everything from; agriculture, residential/ commercial, basin transfers, mining/ …show more content…
The river was divided into the two basins mentioned above, upper and lower. Amounts from the Colorado River are allocated and measured through Lee Ferry, the boundary division for the upper and lower basin. Decisions and determination to the allocation of the water was original addressed by Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce. The fear was other states would declare “first in right, first in use” leaving -Colorado with none of the water they receive from nature. Federal and states didn’t see eye to eye on all of the regulations and determinations but ultimately it was left to be in the hands of the states. There are three levels in Colorado; state, division, and distracts. At the state and division level we have engineer is in charge of water distribution for the respective titles. Then, we have a district level, commissioners, in charge of collecting data and administering water right needs. Since this much effort and detail has gone into ensuring water is allocated appropriately, who benefits from this resources the most? Well this can be answered best by what your use for the water is. Agriculture has an 80% consumptive use, which could indicate them as benefiting the …show more content…
The imbalance forces predators and prey of all species to seek refuge elsewhere, decreasing their rate of survival significantly. When people have concerns about endangered species, they are primarily focused on the animal itself and not the habitat and food the animals need to thrive and continue to prosper. Endangered species which could be impacted by the levels in the Colorado River are; the Bonytail, Lake Chub, Bald Eagles, Grey Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Lynx, Kit Fox, and River Otters. In order to maintain healthy ecosystems for all plant and animal life we need to consider this to be as important as the other factors we address with regard to the Colorado River’s water
The Colorado River’s annual water flow averages around 13.25 million acre feet. Two thirds of this water is allocated to other states via agreed upon contracts. Since the state of Colorado provides water to more than twenty states throughout the West, Mideast, and South, Colorado’s water is in high demand. The water is used for everything from; agriculture, residential/ commercial, basin transfers, mining/ …show more content…
The river was divided into the two basins mentioned above, upper and lower. Amounts from the Colorado River are allocated and measured through Lee Ferry, the boundary division for the upper and lower basin. Decisions and determination to the allocation of the water was original addressed by Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce. The fear was other states would declare “first in right, first in use” leaving -Colorado with none of the water they receive from nature. Federal and states didn’t see eye to eye on all of the regulations and determinations but ultimately it was left to be in the hands of the states. There are three levels in Colorado; state, division, and distracts. At the state and division level we have engineer is in charge of water distribution for the respective titles. Then, we have a district level, commissioners, in charge of collecting data and administering water right needs. Since this much effort and detail has gone into ensuring water is allocated appropriately, who benefits from this resources the most? Well this can be answered best by what your use for the water is. Agriculture has an 80% consumptive use, which could indicate them as benefiting the …show more content…
The imbalance forces predators and prey of all species to seek refuge elsewhere, decreasing their rate of survival significantly. When people have concerns about endangered species, they are primarily focused on the animal itself and not the habitat and food the animals need to thrive and continue to prosper. Endangered species which could be impacted by the levels in the Colorado River are; the Bonytail, Lake Chub, Bald Eagles, Grey Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Lynx, Kit Fox, and River Otters. In order to maintain healthy ecosystems for all plant and animal life we need to consider this to be as important as the other factors we address with regard to the Colorado River’s water