From its sources high up the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River drains its water southward over waterfalls via deserts and canyons, to the delta and finally into the Gulf of California. Today the mighty river is under great stress because it provides drinking water to over 36 million, irrigates 4 million acres of arable land sustains 30 endemic fish species, and supports a 26-dollar billion water recreation economy. Several communities in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming entirely depend on the river for water supply. The human demand on the river resources is beyond the carrying capacity and environmental issues, for instance, climate change making the situation even worse. Colorado River is among the endangered rivers in America considering the threats the river faces.
Climate change is changing all the elements of weather thus affecting the precipitation and even temperature. Change in climate is likely to decrease the flow in Colorado River by 5 to percent in the coming years (Christensen, 2004). When there is little precipitation especially at the upper region, less water will get into the river channel. Climate change also causes extended droughts forcing the temperatures to rise which in turn forces a lot of water to evaporate as well as melting the snow which the river depend on for its flow. Climate change is a long-term threat to the river that needs worldwide intervention to bring things back to normal. The invasive species is another environmental challenge to the river. Tamarisk outgrows the native vegetation and consumes a large amount of water. The plant gets to Colorado River in the 1850s as an ornamental plant and as a way of controlling soil erosion. The plant has good deep roots that are essential in controlling erosion but the problem is that it consumes massive volumes of water. The invasion of the species along the river has reduced the number of animals when in comparison with the areas where native vegetation is covering (NRC., 2007). To conserve Colorado River there is a need to remove this invasive plant and replace with the native species as a way of controlling the erosion. It is clear that the disadvantage of the plants outweighs the advantages. Since Colorado River depends on snowmelt in the high region for its flow, the precipitation on the lower region does not have any impact on the volume of water flowing in the channel. The main factors that determine long-term water availability the amount of water flow in the river are the temperature and the precipitation pattern in the upper Colorado River (Christensen, 2004). When there are high temperatures and a lot of precipitation, large volumes of snow melts recharging the amount of water flowing in the channel. The amount of water available in the Colorado River depends mainly on the regional climate trends that dictate the amount of precipitation and level of temperature in the upper region of the River.
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Through ensuring a permanent flow of water, back to the Colorado River Delta is one of the ways of conserving the river system. It will ensure that the endemic fishes are able to multiply since they can be able to access good sites to reproduce. Stopping the construction of dams and water diversion is another measure that will ensure that there is consistent water flow in the river (Rogers, 2010). Massive dams and diversion of water for irrigation from the river reduce the amount of water that reaches the Delta forcing it to disappear.
The use of underground aquifers and proper water utilization will reduce overdependence on the water from the river. It is therefore important to ensure that there are other means of getting water to enable reduce the massive pumping of water from the river for human consumption as well as agricultural use. Phasing out the wasteful irrigation methods that depend on the water from the Colorado River is another measure that ensures that the least amount of water is diverted for irrigation for maximum production. Phasing out the crops that over depend on water is another approach that will ensure that a minimum amount of water from Colorado River is in use to sustain agriculture leaving a lot of water flow through the system. In conclusion, the Colorado River remains to be the home of the fastest growing states in the nation, which increases the demand for water. Environmental challenges contribute to the threats the river is facing. Measures that extend water conservation and supply for instance conservation programs, improvement in water use efficiencies among others have reduced the dependence on the river for water supply. However, not all these benefits are enough to change the situation. There is a need for more effort in the conservation and developing policies that guide the use of water from the river, for instance, prohibiting construction of dams that divert a lot of water before reaching the Gulf of California.
References
Christensen, N. A. (2004). The effects of climate change on the hydrology and water resources of the Colorado River Basin. Climatic Change 62(1) , 337-363.
New, P. (2015, April 18). Protecting Colorado's Waterways [video file]. Retrieved from http://e360.yale.edu/feature/video_colorado_river_running_near_empty/2443
NRC. (2007). Colorado River Basin Water Management: Evaluating and Adjusting to Hydroclimatic Variability. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.
Rogers, P. a. (2010). The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve our Most Precious Resource. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
