Colorado River Basin Science
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, a branch of the Southwest Biological Science Center, conducts scientific assessments of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, focused primarily on Lake Powell and the river ecosystem downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.
On this page, we'd like to share related interactive tools and projects by other USGS Centers that cover science across the upper and lower Colorado River Basin.
Click on the image blocks below and the Science, Tools, and News tabs to learn more about USGS science across the Colorado River Basin.
Colorado River Basin Drought and the 2023 Water Year
Colorado River Basin Drought and the 2023 Water Year
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
Colorado River Basin GIS Open Data Portal - courtesy of the Babbitt Center
Colorado River Basin GIS Open Data Portal - courtesy of the Babbitt Center
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
A map showing the locations of the Upper and Lower Colorado river basins in the contiguous U.S. and 1,865 National Water Information System (NWIS) sites used to calculate total flow.
Below are links to Colorado River Basin science conducted by a number of different USGS centers. This list is not all-inclusive.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.
Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Projects
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center currently functions under a Triennial Work Plan (TWP) which is thoroughly reviewed and vetted both internally within the Center and through the GCDAMP Technical Work Group (TWG) and the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG). These advisory panels have been a part of the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management process since the inception of the GCDAMP...
Filter Total Items: 13
GCMRC modeling used in decision-making process for new Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statements
USGS Southwest Biological Science Center's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center provided scientific expertise to evaluate potential effects of reservoir management on various resources in Lake Powell and Grand Canyon. This information, published in a cooperator report, was requested and used by the Bureau of Reclamation for decision-making on water flows from Glen Canyon Dam.
Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin
Regional Water Availability Assessments are scientific assessments of water availability in different hydrologic regions across the Nation. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, the USGS will conduct a focused assessment of how snowpack and snowmelt influence hydrology and water quality, and an integrated and comprehensive assessment of multiple water quantity, quality and use factors.
Sediment Transport in the Colorado River and All-American Canal system at Imperial Dam
Like many other dams, Imperial Dam impounds much of the suspended sediment moving in the Colorado River but some of that suspended sediment makes its way to the All-American Canal, a major diversion for irrigation and municipal water. Water entering the All-American Canal is settled in several desilting basins to remove most of the remaining suspended sediment. The collected sediment from the...
Geologic Mapping of the Lower Colorado River System
This is a comprehensive scientific investigation of the geologic history and framework of the lower Colorado River. We are using geologic mapping in combination with stratigraphic, geochronologic, and geophysical studies to develop a holistic understanding of the river’s origin, the structural history of the landscape through which it flows, and the stratigraphic and geomorphic consequences of the...
Upper Colorado River Basin aquifer system
The Colorado River Basin (UCRB) drains parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico, and is divided into upper and lower basins at the compact point of Lee Ferry, Arizona. Aquifers in the UCRB are composed of permeable, moderately to well-consolidated sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Permian to Tertiary.
The Colorado River Basin Pilot Project
USGS expertise together with our vast regional data sets and modeling capabilities, provide an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the value and impact of a strategic and integrated science approach to delivering actionable intelligence to support decision making related to drought risk in the Colorado River Basin. The Pilot in the Colorado River Basin is underway to demonstrate more complex...
Incipient Bed-Movement and Flood-Frequency Analysis Using Hydrophones to Estimate Flushing Flows on the Upper Colorado River, Colorado, 2019
In an effort to better understand sediment movement and its relation to flow regimes of the Upper Colorado River in Colorado, in 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group, studied the magnitude and recurrence interval of streamflow (discharge) needed to initiate bed movement of gravel-sized and finer sediment in a segment of...
Upper Colorado River Streamflow and Reservoir Contents
These reports summarize monthly data for selected rivers and reservoirs in the the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Salinity
Studies of Sources and Transport of Dissolved Solids (Salt) in the Colorado River Basin using the Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) Model The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) encompasses about 112,000 mi2 and discharges more than 6 million tons of dissolved solids (salt) annually to the lower Colorado River Basin. It has been estimated that between 32 and 45...
Baseflow
The Colorado River has been identified as the most overallocated river in the world. Considering predicted future imbalances between water supply and demand and the growing recognition that base flow (a proxy for groundwater discharge to streams) is critical for sustaining flow in streams and rivers, there is a need to develop methods to better quantify present-day base flow across large regions...
Science in the Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River is one of the longest rivers in the Western United States. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows southwestward until it reaches Mexico where it becomes a small stream or dry riverbed. The Colorado River forms the border between southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. In Nevada, Hoover Dam and Davis Dam control the flow of the river and create two...
WaterSMART: Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River supplies water to more than 30 million people, irrigates nearly 4 million acres of cropland in the U.S. and Mexico, and supplies hydropower plants that generate more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Water from the river also provides for recreation and an array of environmental benefits, supporting a wide diversity of fish and wildlife and their habitats, and preserving...
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The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, a branch of the Southwest Biological Science Center, conducts scientific assessments of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, focused primarily on Lake Powell and the river ecosystem downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.
On this page, we'd like to share related interactive tools and projects by other USGS Centers that cover science across the upper and lower Colorado River Basin.
Click on the image blocks below and the Science, Tools, and News tabs to learn more about USGS science across the Colorado River Basin.
Colorado River Basin Drought and the 2023 Water Year
Colorado River Basin Drought and the 2023 Water Year
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
USGS Science Collaboration Portal for the Colorado River Basin
Colorado River Basin GIS Open Data Portal - courtesy of the Babbitt Center
Colorado River Basin GIS Open Data Portal - courtesy of the Babbitt Center
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
A map showing the locations of the Upper and Lower Colorado river basins in the contiguous U.S. and 1,865 National Water Information System (NWIS) sites used to calculate total flow.
Below are links to Colorado River Basin science conducted by a number of different USGS centers. This list is not all-inclusive.
To access all of USGS' Colorado River information, including science pages, news, photographs, publications and more, go to https://www.usgs.gov/, search for "Colorado River" in the search bar, and navigate using the drop-down menu.
Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Projects
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center currently functions under a Triennial Work Plan (TWP) which is thoroughly reviewed and vetted both internally within the Center and through the GCDAMP Technical Work Group (TWG) and the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG). These advisory panels have been a part of the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management process since the inception of the GCDAMP...
Filter Total Items: 13
GCMRC modeling used in decision-making process for new Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statements
USGS Southwest Biological Science Center's Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center provided scientific expertise to evaluate potential effects of reservoir management on various resources in Lake Powell and Grand Canyon. This information, published in a cooperator report, was requested and used by the Bureau of Reclamation for decision-making on water flows from Glen Canyon Dam.
Regional Water Availability Assessment: Upper Colorado River Basin
Regional Water Availability Assessments are scientific assessments of water availability in different hydrologic regions across the Nation. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, the USGS will conduct a focused assessment of how snowpack and snowmelt influence hydrology and water quality, and an integrated and comprehensive assessment of multiple water quantity, quality and use factors.
Sediment Transport in the Colorado River and All-American Canal system at Imperial Dam
Like many other dams, Imperial Dam impounds much of the suspended sediment moving in the Colorado River but some of that suspended sediment makes its way to the All-American Canal, a major diversion for irrigation and municipal water. Water entering the All-American Canal is settled in several desilting basins to remove most of the remaining suspended sediment. The collected sediment from the...
Geologic Mapping of the Lower Colorado River System
This is a comprehensive scientific investigation of the geologic history and framework of the lower Colorado River. We are using geologic mapping in combination with stratigraphic, geochronologic, and geophysical studies to develop a holistic understanding of the river’s origin, the structural history of the landscape through which it flows, and the stratigraphic and geomorphic consequences of the...
Upper Colorado River Basin aquifer system
The Colorado River Basin (UCRB) drains parts of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico, and is divided into upper and lower basins at the compact point of Lee Ferry, Arizona. Aquifers in the UCRB are composed of permeable, moderately to well-consolidated sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Permian to Tertiary.
The Colorado River Basin Pilot Project
USGS expertise together with our vast regional data sets and modeling capabilities, provide an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the value and impact of a strategic and integrated science approach to delivering actionable intelligence to support decision making related to drought risk in the Colorado River Basin. The Pilot in the Colorado River Basin is underway to demonstrate more complex...
Incipient Bed-Movement and Flood-Frequency Analysis Using Hydrophones to Estimate Flushing Flows on the Upper Colorado River, Colorado, 2019
In an effort to better understand sediment movement and its relation to flow regimes of the Upper Colorado River in Colorado, in 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group, studied the magnitude and recurrence interval of streamflow (discharge) needed to initiate bed movement of gravel-sized and finer sediment in a segment of...
Upper Colorado River Streamflow and Reservoir Contents
These reports summarize monthly data for selected rivers and reservoirs in the the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Salinity
Studies of Sources and Transport of Dissolved Solids (Salt) in the Colorado River Basin using the Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed Attributes (SPARROW) Model The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) encompasses about 112,000 mi2 and discharges more than 6 million tons of dissolved solids (salt) annually to the lower Colorado River Basin. It has been estimated that between 32 and 45...
Baseflow
The Colorado River has been identified as the most overallocated river in the world. Considering predicted future imbalances between water supply and demand and the growing recognition that base flow (a proxy for groundwater discharge to streams) is critical for sustaining flow in streams and rivers, there is a need to develop methods to better quantify present-day base flow across large regions...
Science in the Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River is one of the longest rivers in the Western United States. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and flows southwestward until it reaches Mexico where it becomes a small stream or dry riverbed. The Colorado River forms the border between southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. In Nevada, Hoover Dam and Davis Dam control the flow of the river and create two...
WaterSMART: Colorado River Basin
The Colorado River supplies water to more than 30 million people, irrigates nearly 4 million acres of cropland in the U.S. and Mexico, and supplies hydropower plants that generate more than 10 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Water from the river also provides for recreation and an array of environmental benefits, supporting a wide diversity of fish and wildlife and their habitats, and preserving...
By