The Uncertain Future of the Colorado

In this final post, the uncertain future of the Colorado River will be addressed. I will begin by looking at a national level attempt to prioritize water, followed by why the future is so uncertain for the Colorado River.  

 

Photo courtesy of ecology110fra.files.wordpress.com

“The Colorado River is at a critical crossroads, depleted by an ongoing dry cycle not recorded since more than a century ago and entangled with the future of a growing Western region.” As discussed in previous posts, there are many challenges in managing the Colorado River Basin and solutions will only be found through cooperation of all parties involved.

American Clean Energy Agenda

This past July, it was revealed to members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that the findings of the Bureau of Reclamation Supply and Demand study of the Colorado River projects a shortfall of 3.2 million acre-feet of water by 2060.

Photo courtesy of www.americancleanenergyagenda.org

In order to help alleviate some of the water stress in the basin, the American Clean Energy Agenda, an executive order, was presented to the President. This order aims to,

• Make water a national priority
• Create a national water census
• Formation of a water budget commission
• Reduction or elimination by 2030 of water-dependent power generation sources such as coal-fired or nuclear power plants.

Uncertain Future

One of the biggest issues surrounding the uncertain future of the Colorado River is the effect of climate change. It is no secret that the effects are already being seen along the river. Out of the last 13 years, 10 have been the lowest flow years in more than a century of record keeping. Increasing temperatures in the basin have led to greater evaporation within many of the reservoirs as well as reducing the amount of snowpack received in the headwater regions of the basin.

Colorado River supply versus demand
Photo courtesy of www.nature.org

The next major uncertainty affecting the future of the basin is in regards to the growing populations in the Southwest. Today, Southwestern United States is one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S.  With more people moving to the Colorado River Basin region, there will be an increased demand for Colorado River water on all fronts.

Finally, structurally speaking, reservoir levels along the Colorado River have been at record lows over the last decade placing many of the hydropower turbines at risk of damage. Lake Mead, which sits on the border between Nevada and Arizona behind Hoover Dam, is expected to drop 2.4 meters in 2014, as less and less water flows downstream from Lake Powell. This drop is in part due to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's need to cut Lake Powell’s water release by nearly 1 billion cubic meters to 9.2 billion cubic meters for the 2014 water season, the smallest release since the lake was filled in the 1960s. 

To give an idea of how much water that is, imagine an Olympic sized swimming pool 2,500,000 liters of water so 1 billion cubic meters of water would be about 400,000 Olympic sized swimming pools. 

Photos courtesy of slideshare.net/cheatles/where-is-all-the-water

Worst case scenario, when the water level drops below 1063 meters in Lake Powell, just about 30 meters lower than its average August levels, vortex action would draw air into the turbines and damage them. What is actually occurring though is a decline in power output as water levels within the reservoirs fall. This becomes problematic because “if electricity has to come from somewhere else, delivering drinking water to some of the largest cities in the western United States could be challenging. Nearly 30 percent of the energy from Hoover Dam goes to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides drinking water to nearly 19 million people across 26 cities and water districts. Less power also means less money for various water quality and environmental studies that inform how the water from the Colorado River should be allocated.” 

Glen Canyon Dam in front of Lake Powell
Photo courtesy of cache2.artprintimages.com

Due to the complexity of the situation and the many issues and stakeholders involved, in order to secure a viable future for the Colorado River will be through multiple solutions and cooperation between all seven basin states. Unfortunately, these collaborative efforts are not easy when discussing this vital natural resource that so many people depend on and thus, tensions will increase, leading to greater problems. Nevertheless, because the Colorado River is listed as the most endangered river in the world, efforts are being made to ensure its revival. 

Dried Up Delta

In this post, I will explore issues surrounding the Colorado River Delta, noting why the delta is of importance, and how today these issues are being addressed in order to ensure a sustainable future for the ecosystems involved.

Dried up Colorado River Delta
Photo courtesy of davidmfrey.com

Before the development of the Colorado River, the river wound its way, untamed to the Gulf of California in Mexico.  The Colorado River Delta once extended over most of the Salton Trough, pictured below, but due to the high demand of the river’s water, today the delta has been depleted. 

Salton Trough
Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

A Look Into the Delta’s Past and Current State

The Colorado River Delta was once a thriving and dynamic environmental system home to freshwater, brackish, and saltwater species.  This unique combination of habitats was due to the interaction between the ocean’s tide and the Colorado River’s flows. The historic delta was comprised of over 2.5 million acres of wetlands and provided habitat for an estimated 400 species of plants and wildlife. Once the river reached the delta, it broke off into multiple small channels covering the entire Salton Trough, creating an extensive wetland. Below is a picture of what the Colorado River Delta once looked like when the Colorado River waters reached the Gulf of California.  

 

Healthy Colorado River Delta
Photo courtesy of www.geo.arizona.edu

At one point in time, before the construction of various dams along the river, significant quantities of nutrient-rich silt were carried down the Colorado River to the delta.  Today, with the exception of a few unusually wet years, the Colorado River Delta looks like a barren desert.  Pictured below is an image of the delta taken on September 8, 2000 by the Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer flying aboard the Terra spacecraft.

Photo courtesy of earthobservatory.nasa.gov

In this image, the Colorado River is the dark blue line at the top left and weaves its way through the multicolored farmlands in the northwestern corner, finally reaching its end at the base of the Sierra de Juarez Mountains.  It is clearly noticeable in this image that a good amount of the Colorado River water is pulled out for irrigation of farmlands. “Roughly 10 percent of all the water that flows into the Colorado River makes it into Mexico and most of that water is used by the Mexican people for farming.” 

“The bluish purple river that appears to be flowing from the Gulf of California to the north is actually an inlet that formed in the bed of the Colorado River after it receded.” All of the gray areas surrounding the inlet are mud flats created over the last millions of years, before the construction of dams, by sediment carried down from the river. Lastly, the yellow expanse to the east of the farmlands is the Gran Desirto and the bluish-green patch located between the farmlands and the desert is known as the Sienega de Santa Clara. The Sienega de Santa Clara is a salt-water marsh home to many bird populations, including the endangered species, Yuma Clapper Rail and the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. 

Below, two images of this region are pictured showing the great recession of the Colorado River Delta over time. The image on the left, from 1985, shows flows from a relatively wet year while the image on the right, from 2007, shows the current state of the delta with limited flows to this region.

Two photos of the Colorado River Delta. Left image taken in 1985 in a record high flow year while the image on the right, taken in 2007 was in a record low flow year.
Photo courtesy of coastalcare.org

Delta Recovery Efforts

The recovery of the Colorado River delta is of great importance in sustaining the future of the river and thus, many new efforts to improve the delta’s condition have been made.  In particular, Minute 319, a landmark agreement made between the U.S. and Mexico that “defines how the two countries will share Colorado River water amidst growing pressures on water resources” was passed. The key features of Minute 319 are the environmental component to bring water back to the Colorado River in Mexico and to expand restoration efforts in the delta.

Photo courtesy of www.sonoraninstitute.org

Prior to the agreement of Minute 319, the Colorado River Delta Water Trust was created in order to “acquire and lease water for environmental purposes.” Once Minute 319 was passed, the Colorado River Delta Water Trust was to “secure one-third of the total flows that will be allocated to the Colorado River, while Mexico and the U.S. will contribute the remaining two-thirds of the flows.” In regards to expanding the restoration efforts, the agreement requires the NGO coalition to widen restoration efforts in the Delta.

Currently this coalition is partnering with the Nature Conservancy, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Redford Center along with various governmental organizations in a project called “Raise the River.” The goals of Raise the River are to,

• Secure a base flow for the river
• Temporarily reconnect the Colorado River with the sea
• Enhance 2,300 acres of habitat by 2017

By accomplishing these goals, Raise the River will establish a framework for the long-term dedication of water to the Colorado River Delta.

In my next and final post, I will discuss the outlook on the future of the Colorado River. With much uncertainty surrounding this issue, there is one thing that is for certain, something must be done to protect the Colorado River from drying up if it is to continue flowing for the centuries to come.  

Four "Big-River" Endangered Fishes

This post will explore a series of endangered species that reside along the Colorado River. I will investigate four fish species in particular, the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, humpback chub, and the bonytail chub, all of which are federally endangered.

Due to both the climatology of the Southwest and the increasing demands for Colorado River water for human purposes, many species have suffered the consequences.  Historically, the Colorado River Basin was home to 30 species found no where else.  Today, four of these 30 species are extinct and 16 are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Photo courtesy of lh4.googleusercontent.com

A Brief Synopsis of the Endangered Species Act

According to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a species listed as “endangered” means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. Once a species is listed, both the species and their habitat is protected by prohibiting the “taking” of listed species. “Taking” is defined by the ESA as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct.” Prohibited actions may also include “significant habitat modification of degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding, or sheltering.”

Four “Big-River” Fishes

Photo courtesy of www.mountainijournals.com

Four fish species along the Colorado River who are currently listed as endangered by the ESA are the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, humpback chub, and the bonytail chub.  These four fishes are unique in that they are only found in the Colorado River Basin.  All four are large, long-lived, warm-water species that are thought to have evolved three to five million years ago.

Colorado Pikeminnow
Photo courtesy of http://www.natgeocreative.com

Colorado Pikeminnow

The Colorado pikeminnow is noted for being the largest species in the minnow family in North America. Records show individuals of this species growing to a length of 6 feet long and weighing over 100 pounds.  Today, the Colorado pike minnow generally grows to a length of two and a half feet weighing between 5 and ten pounds.

Razorback Sucker

Razorback sucker
Photo courtesy of dnr.state.co.us

The razorback sucker is another big fish characterized by its sharp, bony, “razorback” hump. This species can grow up to lengths of three and a half feet and weigh up to 15 pounds.  This species once thrived throughout most of the medium and large sized rivers of the Colorado River Basin, but its range has dwindled to only the Colorado River above the Grand Canyon, and various big lakes on the lower Colorado River.

Humpback Chub

Humpback Chub
Photo courtesy of mediad.publicbroadcasting.net

Humpback chub are distinguished by the abrupt, fleshy hump behind their head. This species can grow to lengths of three and a half feet and has a body that is almost entirely scaleless.  This fish thrives is deep, swift-water habitats and usually is found in smaller populations. Historically, the humpback chub ranged on the Colorado River from below present-day Hoover Dam upstream into Colorado, aswell as in portions of many of the Colorado River tributaries in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Today, there are only seven population centers of the humpback chub.

The location of the humpback chub population centers in the Colorado River Basin.
Photo courtesy of www.utexas.edu

Bonytail Chub

Bonytail Chub
Photo courtesy of www.coloradoriverrecovery.org

The bonytail chub is the rarest of the four fish species discussed.  This species can grow to over two feet long.  Once found in a number of states, including Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, this fish species has since experienced the most abrupt decline of any of the long-lived fishes native to the main-stems of the Colorado River system and, because no young individuals have been found in recent years, has been called functionally extinct.

Reason for the Decline in “Big-River” Fishes

Hoover Dam
Photo courtesy of 4.bp.blogspot.com

The reasons for becoming listed vary for each of the four species but collectively, the construction and management of dams and diversions has effected these populations the most.  The combination of regulated flows, decrease in sedimentation and change in pH levels downstream due to dams has degraded the ecosystems and habitats of the “big-river” fishes.  For the humpback chub, a threat to its species has been competitive non-native predators as well as the spread of parasites and diseases.  Lastly, with the increase in demand for Colorado River water, a conflict between consumers and the ESA arose over the appropriate use of water.

Recovery Programs and Their Effectiveness

Currently, there are two main recovery programs that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on along side with other state and federal agencies, water and power organizations, and tribes in order to recover the four “big-river” fish species. The first program is the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program established in 1988, which includes the Colorado River upstream of Glen Canyon dam.  The second project is the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program created in 1992, which includes the entire San Juan River, a significant tributary of the Colorado River.

Photo courtesy of image.slidesharecdn.com

There are a number of key elements within these two programs to aid in recovering the four fish species. Below are a few of the main areas of emphasis.

• Improving river flows and habitats through modification of dam operations and cooperative agreements to enhance flows
• Construction of five fish passages around dams and diversions to link more then 375 river miles of designated critical habitat
• Instillation of fish screens to prevent fish from getting caught in irrigation canals
• Restoration of 3,000 acres of floodplain habitat
• Raising endangered fish in hatcheries and stocking them to reestablish naturally self-sustaining populations

It is important to note that these projects would not be possible without the cooperation of multiple parties working to recover endangered fish while water development proceeds in accordance with federal and state laws and interstate compacts. Today, with its demonstrated success, the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program has become a model to protect other endangered species.  Its biggest success thus far has been in creating stable populations for the Colorado pikeminnow who is on track to be delisted within the next few years.

In my next post, I will discover the complexities surrounding the Colorado River Delta, its ecological importance, issues that impact it and what is being done internationally to preserve and enhance its existence.