Colorado River
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| Colorado River | |
|---|---|
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| Mouth | Gulf of California |
| Basin countries | United States, Mexico |
| Length | 2,330 km (1,450 mi) |
| Source elevation | ~2700 m (~9000 ft) |
| Avg. discharge | 620 m³/s (22,000 ft³/s)[1] |
| Basin area | 629,100 km² (242,900 mi²) |
The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is approximately 1,450 mi (2,330 km) long. It drains a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California, but the heavy use of the river as an irrigation source for the Imperial Valley has desiccated the lower course of the river in Mexico such that it no longer consistently reaches the sea.On it`s way the Colorado River runs through Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Mexico.
The Colorado River drains 242,900 sq mi (629,100 km²). Total flows of the river range from 4000 cubic feet per second (570 m³/s) in droughts to 1,000,000 ft³/s (28,000 m³/s) in severe floods. With the construction of massive power dams on the lower course of the river, floods of over 70,000 ft³/s (2000 m³/s) are rare. The mean flow of the total river before diversion is 22,000 ft³/s. Historically the flow was much higher before water usage began in the basin.
[change] References
- ↑ Largest Rivers in the United States, USGS; retrieved April 22, 2007.
