A Brief Note On The Rio Grande Basin

Water scarcity is increasing worldwide and dramatically affecting first world nations such as Spain, Australia, and the United States. All nations are now starting to recognize that the world's water is a finite resource, and that resource is being drastically altered in both availability and quality by development, climate change and population growth. In the United States, the Colorado River is experiencing rapid declines in volume. Recent studies and data suggest that the changes in frequency, intensity, and timing of the availability of water will have substantial impact on the way we live our lives in the 21st century and beyond. As Letmathe Brakeck said, “I am confident that, under present

How serious is the problem? Since 1930, the aquifer's water has been reduced by 11 percent (Lewis). The volume of water has decreased because the use of irrigation has increased so much since World War II. In 1949, 2.1 million acres were under irrigation. In 1969, the amount of irrigation land rose to 9.0 million acres; and in 1978, it rose to 13 million acres

The Chattahoochee River has become increasingly along the years. The Chattahoochee's pollution problem increases due to the many components such as the construction site sediment that runs off the north Georgia mountains as well as irrigation field runoff from farms. Bacteria, oil, grease, metal, and trash are picked up from the runoff and flow to the Chattahoochee, which has detrimental effects on the ecosystem. Also the sewer system has served a part in the pollution of the Chattahoochee, because the sewer system in Atlanta isn’t at the level where it can accommodate the growing population and its water

One of the largest geographic physical structures in the United States is the Colorado River. Human activity and its interaction with this great river have an interesting history. The resources provided by the river have been used by humans, and caused conflict for human populations as well. One of these conflicts is water distribution, and the effects drought conditions have played in this distribution throughout the southwestern region. Major cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, and other communities in the southwest depend on the river. It provides water for over 20 million people, irrigation for 2 million acres of land, four thousand megawatts of hydroelectric energy, and over twenty million annual visitors for

The Colorado River Basin starts in the Rocky Mountains and cuts through 1500 miles of canyon lands and deserts of seven US states and two Mexican states to supply a collection of dams and reservoirs with water to help irrigate cropland, support 40 million people, and provide hydroelectric power for the inland western United States [1,2]. From early settlement, rights over the river have been debated and reassigned to different states in the upper and lower basin; however, all the distribution patterns lead to excessive consumption of the resource. In 1922, the seven US states signed into the Colorado River Compact, which outlined the policy for the distribution rights to the water [3], however, this compact was written during an exceptionally

The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation's largest river swamp, containing almost one million acres of America's most significant bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous, and backwater lakes.

Known as the fifth largest river in the United States the Rio Grande River is 1,885 miles long and since 1848 became a boundary between Mexico and United States. It flows through the head waters of the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and it runs to Gulf of Mexico close to the city of Brownsville, TX. The Rio Grande River flows through arid regions, which is very important for both the human consumption and a source of water for wildlife. “Because a large proportion of the river’s basin is arid or semiarid, however, only about half of the total area, or about 176,000 square miles, actually contributes to the river’s flow” (Jr, 2014).Types of species that live in the Rio Grande River and many type of fish such as the red shiner, Rio grande silvery minnow and the plant species such as sedge. Sedge is a grass like aquatic plant that grows along the bank of the river, marshes and shallow ponds. Many types of animal species eat this plant such as ducks, geese, and muskrat’s. Many types of animals that live in in this area use these plant for hiding from

The Colorado River compact has been the most beneficial project for the seven states that share it. The river has 29 dams that serve different purposes together with hundreds of miles of canals. Many farmers have been known to divert the river into their own farms to be used for irrigation. Irrigated land accounts for four million acres of the total land use. This relates to a large percentage of water used for agriculture. The products got from constant irrigation are a major economic boost to both the farmers and the United States. This also enhances living standards due to income earned by such farmers (Michael, 2010). This has enabled them to feed not only their states, but also the other neighboring countries through

Arizona has an incredibly large dependence on the Colorado River and groundwater. In fact, 39% of all water usage in Arizona is comprised of Colorado River water. Any dependence of that scale on any resource that originates in another area is always a major risk, as any major disaster or drastic change to the source of the river can cripple the state’s water supply. Furthermore, while Arizona does house the majority of the Lower Basin of the Colorado, the Colorado’s Upper Basin is shared between 4 other states, all with their own water needs and all with a susceptibility to drought. On the other hand, another 40% of all water Arizona uses is from groundwater sources. However, the Colorado River and these groundwater sources in the Colorado River basins have lost over 65 cubic kilometers of water over the last 9 years, with nearly 2/3 of it from groundwater loss due to over-pumping. This is because

In his book, Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner’s main thesis is to show the inefficiency, greed, and inherent difficulty in the American West’s never-ending struggle to turn its unwelcoming desert into a lush garden. One of his main sub-points is that the West is not meant to support millions of people. It has a wide range of geographic challenges throughout the entire region. Its inconsistency and diversity is a primary cause of its water problems. For example, Reisner notes that the West consists of “plains so arid that they could barely support bunchgrass; deserts that were fiercely hot and fiercely cold; streams that flooded a few weeks each year and went dry the rest; forests with trees so large it might take days to bring one down; . . . hail followed by drought followed by hail;” (23).

Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.

The Atchafalaya Basin could be perceived as the embodiment of the Cajun Culture within the southern Louisiana region. It has not only been a home to the growing Cajun population but a safe haven for Native American settlers and French colonist that have been exiled. The Basin has existed for hundreds of years dating back to the 15th century. The basin itself is one of the most ecologically varied regions within the United States and has provided for over hundreds of different species. The benefits of the Atchafalaya Basin are endless and have continually provided the inhabitants of the area with bountiful resources, hunting grounds, homes, and transportation.

Many people think that having a river near their city can always be good as they can make a good usage of the river, just like San Antonio made their river very profitable. What people never think is what problems or controversies the river can create. Almost always a river may have its advantages and disadvantages and it is no different with the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande is not as profitable because two countries own the river. Instead if it was own by only one country then the river would be more useful. The Rio Grande creates many problems between the United States and Mexican Government, it is also very useful for both governments and for human beings, the water itself has many issues, and should the water not be used anymore.

Often, toxic substances are being drained into the air, waterways, and undergrounds wells. According to the report by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 60 million pounds of deadly chemicals are produced by industries in Florida. Notably, Florida’s water has been suffering mercury contamination until the state’s department of migration issues a circular regularly for regulations of eating freshwater fish in the region (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). In fact, such metals emanate from coal combustion’s emissions which run into water bodies. Not to mention, pesticides and herbicides utilized by government and homeowners pollute the environment (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). Indeed, all chemicals released into the atmosphere find themselves in rivers.

Even though the dams provide immense water storage at a cost of the Colorado River ecosystem, the thirst of the southwest continues to increase. Conservation will help to slow the thirst, but the ever increasing demanded requires more water in the system. The three fastest-growing US states (Nevada, Arizona and Utah) are located within the Colorado River basin and all seven states within the basin outpace the national average. Four of the ten fastest growing metro areas: St. George and Provo in Utah, Las Vegas in Nevada and Greenly in Colorado.