The Colorado River Basin contains 22,200 square miles.
Major reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin include Lake Granby, Williams Fork Reservoir, Green Mountain Reservoir, Lake Dillon, Ruedi Reservoir, Taylor Park Reservoir, Blue Mesa Reservoir, McPhee Reservoir, Vallecito Reservoir, and Navajo Reservoir.
Major rivers within the Colorado River Basin include the Gunnison, White, Yampa, Eagle, Animas, Dolores, San Juan, Roaring Fork, La Plata, Williams Fork, Blue, and the San Miguel Rivers.
The Colorado River Basin--Illustrated
Native water: 10,738,000 acre-feet
Basin outflow, 1970: 8,965,000 acre-feet
Basin outflow, 1993: 9,097,000 acre-feet
Exports: 412,000 acre-feet
Irrigated acreage, 1992: 958,000 acres
Irrigation consumptive use and associated consumptive reservoir and conveyance losses: 1,277,000 acre-feet
Water quality in this region generally is satisfactory, although runoff from agricultural areas, abandoned mines, and naturally occurring saline ground water discharges cause localized problems:
The Eagle River has metals contamination in some reaches.
The Colorado River main stem is subject to elevated salinity levels due to naturally occurring springs and agricultural drainage through saline deposits.
The Gunnison River is subject to increased selenium levels.
Previous mining activities have also impacted tributaries to the San Juan and White and Yampa Rivers.
Colorado River Decision Support System
National Water Quality Assessment Program: Upper Colorado River Basin
Division of Water Resources and Colorado Water Conservation Board. Senate Joint Resolution 94-32 Concerning the Management, Conservation, and Preservation of the Water Resources of the State of Colorado. Colorado Department of Natural Resources, 1995.
Agricultural Water Conservation Task Force. Regional Characteristics. Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, 1995.
