Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The figure below is an image using different color bands and shows the lower half of the Mexicali Valley.
The Colorado River is the dark blue patch at the top central part of the picture. Urban sprawl and
irrigation siphon off most of the river before it reaches Mexico. In fact, only about 10% of all the river
water makes it to the Mexican border, and that is then used before it reaches the delta where it would
historically flow into the Gulf of California. The purplish flow from the gulf is where the ocean water is
actually flowing up the river channel. The grey
areas to either side of the delta are the
historic sediment deposits from when the
river carried sediments in its raging current to
be deposited here at the mouth of the river.
Now most of the sediments are trapped by
large dams and the river sinks into the sand
before it reaches the coast.
Assignment
Should Lake Mead fall to 1,075 ft above sea level, the federal government would cut the water to seven
states that depend on the Colorado River, according to an agreement they all signed in 2007. If that
happens, the states would likely renegotiate the 1922 pact that establishes how the water is to be
allocated. The current lake level is 1099 feet.
Your final assignment is to discuss what that renegotiated compact should include. How much will we
have to share? Who will we share it with? For what purpose should the water be used? Will it be
sustainable in the face of growing populations and uncertain climate? How can we make our water use
sustainable? Are there any conditions that need to be met before different user groups can use the
water? The original pact for the river was made in 1922. What changes have occurred that would
support changes in the pact today? Remember that the river is a system where all the water is allocated
and there is less water available as a whole. Giving more water to any one area or user group means less
water available for everyone else.
References:
CEDD grant announcement http://www.ncseonline.org/Updates/cms.cfm?id=3019
Colorado River Commission of Nevada http://crc.nv.gov/index.asp?m=maps
Colorado River District http://www.crwcd.org/page_315
Colorado River System Consumptive Uses and Losses Report: (Provisional) 2006-2010 (Upper
Basin) http://www.usbr.gov/uc/library/envdocs/reports/crs/crsul.html
Colorado River Water Users Association.
http://www.crwua.org/coloradoriver/riveruses/index.cfm?action=agriculture#ca
Gelt, Joe. 1997. “Sharing Colorado River Water: History, Public Policy and the Colorado River
Comapct” Uof A Water Resources Research Center.
http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/arroyo/101comm.html
http://drought.unl.edu/dm
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/LakeMead/ - lower lake mead levels image
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/0/792/aster_mexicali_lrg.jpg - mexicali
border in infrared
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/37000/37228/vegas_tm5_2009_lrg.jpg
- las vegas growth
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=1288 – river delta
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=1501 – lower basin image
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=2591 – salton sea
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3315 – Page, AZ
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3556 – infra red bands of Lake Mead
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=8132 - Lake Powell image
Navajo Generating Station Site - http://www.srpnet.com/about/stations/navajo.aspx
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/brief_coal.html
Imperial Irrigation District http://www.iid.com/Media/All-American-Canal-Map.jpg
Lippert, John. 2009. “Las Vegas Running Out of Water Means Dimming Los Angeles Lights.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a_b86mnWn9.w&refer=home
McDade, Sharon. 1995. “Case Study Pedagogy to Advance Critical Thinking.” Teaching of
psychology [0098-6283] vol:22 iss:1
Miller, Paul W. and Thomas C. Piechota. 2008. “Regional Analysis of Trend and Step Changes
Observed in Hydroclimatic Variables around the Colorado River Basin.” Journal of
Hydrometeorology. Vol 9 pp. 1020-1034.
National Resource Conservation Service Colorado Historical Snow Data and Graphs
http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/snow/watershed/historical/monthly/maps_graphs/index.ht
ml
Southern Nevada Water Authority. Water Resources. Apportionment of Colorado River
http://www.snwa.com/html/wr_colrvr_apportion.html
The Essential Principles of Climate Science http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/Literacy/
Western Resource Advocates -
http://www.westernresourceadvocates.org/energy/coal/states.php