Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Colorado River Basin: Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology

Go to Webpage

Debris Flows Caused by Rain after Wildfires

USGS Landslide Hazards Program

Go to Webpage

Sediment Coring of Lake Powell

Go to Webpage

Great Salt Lake Studies

Study Information

Colorado River Basin Studies in Utah

See Studies

Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin includes the States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. USGS Science Centers in the Region conduct interdisciplinary research and monitoring related to natural resources, ecology, climate, and natural hazards. Data, analyses, and tools developed by USGS staff help stakeholders to make sustainable management decisions.

Map of Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin

Region 7--Upper Colorado Basin (map)

Map Showing USGS/DOI Unified Region 7 and adjoining Regions

Key USGS Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin Contacts

USGS Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin Offices and Science Centers

News

link

New one-stop shop webpage for all things Great Salt Lake

link

USGS Media Alert: USGS crews continue to measure and assess Yellowstone River flood conditions and probabilities

link

Media Alert: Helicopter Will Survey Portions of the Colorado River Basin for Water Studies

View All

Publications

Deciphering natural and anthropogenic nitrate and recharge sources in arid region groundwater

Recently, the subsoils of ephemeral stream (arroyos) floodplains in the northern Chihuahuan Desert were discovered to contain large naturally occurring NO3− reservoirs (floodplain: ~38,000 kg NO3-N/ha; background: ~60 kg NO3-N/ha). These reservoirs may be mobilized through land use change or natural stream channel migration which makes differentiating between anthropogenic and natural groundwater
By
Water Resources, New Mexico Water Science Center

Assembling a safe and effective toolbox for integrated flea control and plague mitigation: Fipronil experiments with prairie dogs

BackgroundPlague, a widely distributed zoonotic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors, poses a significant risk to ecosystems throughout much of Earth. Conservation biologists use insecticides for flea control and plague mitigation. Here, we evaluate the use of an insecticide grain bait, laced with 0.005% fipronil (FIP) by weight, with black-tailed prairie dogs (BTPDs, Cynomys ludovicianus).
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Science facilitation: Navigating the intersection of intellectual and interpersonal expertise in scientific collaboration

Today’s societal challenges, such as climate change and global pandemics, are increasingly complex and require collaboration across scientific disciplines to address. Scientific teams bring together individuals of varying backgrounds and expertise to work collaboratively on creating new knowledge to address these challenges. Within a scientific team, there is inherent diversity in disciplinary cul
By
Ecosystems, Cooperative Research Units, Fort Collins Science Center
View All

Science

link
gray relief map of western U.S. with red, yellow, and blue faults

The 2023 National Seismic Hazard Model – What's Shaking?

No one can predict earthquakes. But existing faults and past earthquakes give us information about future earthquakes, and geology tells us how the ground shakes during an earthquake.
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards
link

The 2023 National Seismic Hazard Model – What's Shaking?

No one can predict earthquakes. But existing faults and past earthquakes give us information about future earthquakes, and geology tells us how the ground shakes during an earthquake.
Learn More
link
View of Lake Powell from hill, USGS boat beached on shore below looks tiny.

New study confirms loss of storage capacity in Lake Powell

Beginning in 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, completed topobathymetric surveys of Lake Powell for the first update of elevation-area-capacity relationships since 1986. The recent report presents results of these surveys and comparisons with estimates from previous surveys. Current storage capacity at full pool (3702.91 feet above NAVD 88) is 25,160...
By
Utah Water Science Center
link

New study confirms loss of storage capacity in Lake Powell

Beginning in 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, completed topobathymetric surveys of Lake Powell for the first update of elevation-area-capacity relationships since 1986. The recent report presents results of these surveys and comparisons with estimates from previous surveys. Current storage capacity at full pool (3702.91 feet above NAVD 88) is 25,160...
Learn More
link
Cheatgrass on a frosty morning

Invasive Annual Grass (IAG) Spatial Dataset Compilation and Synthesis

USGS is working closely with partners in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IMJV) to collect and summarize spatial datasets that describe measurable aspects of invasive annual grasses (e.g., biomass or presence) across the western United Stated and beyond. The products developed through this project provide...
By
Ecosystems, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Sage-grouse & Sagebrush Ecosystem, Fort Collins Science Center
link

Invasive Annual Grass (IAG) Spatial Dataset Compilation and Synthesis

USGS is working closely with partners in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IMJV) to collect and summarize spatial datasets that describe measurable aspects of invasive annual grasses (e.g., biomass or presence) across the western United Stated and beyond. The products developed through this project provide...
Learn More
View All