the need for water management

• • people - population growth + domestic use
  • industry - agriculture + hydro electric power
  • climate - drought + flooding + precipitation
• population growth -

  • significant growth in Colorado's catchment = increased population
  • west and south west attract people from north east America because of sunbelt cities e.g. Pheonix, Las Vegas = new developments require more water
• domestic uses -

  • Colorado river provides 40 million e.g. Vegas and San Diego
• tourism -

  • Colorado river supports a 25 billion recreation industry
  • lake Mead and lake Powell are tourist attraction - natural beauty spots
• low and unreliable rainfall increases the need for water management e.g. Vegas in the Mojave desert
• water management -

  • allows water transfer from surplus areas to deficit areas e.g. through canals , rivers and lakes
  • Vegas uses lake Mead
  • DAMS are used to regulate river flow and store water
  • FLOOD CONTROL - the river rarely flows in lower basin because of management upstream - average flow rate in mexico / us border is 58 cumecs , less than 1/10th of natural flow
• river flow -

  • sudden increases from seasonal precipitation or snow melt - floods
• fracking -

  • extracting shale gas from underground using water at high pressure is a competing demand as it grows
• conservation -

  • the river provides habitat for migrating birds
  • river supports 4 endangered fish , wetland birds, bighorn sheep, mountain lion and other
• hydro electric power -

  • the Colorado's flow rate and steep gradient generate clean and renewable energy
  • basins capacity is 4300MW = can power 5 million homes
  • hoover dam =produces 45% of the energy produced
• agriculture -

  • 70% of the Colorado's river used to irrigate 4 million acres of farmland
  • supports 15% of us farming economy
  • most dominant crop is alfalfa hay
  • irrigated areas also produce wheat, cotton, fruit and veg
  • californias imperial valley has a $1 billion veg economy