The Colorado River is a story more about sediment than water. There is a saying on the Colorado about it's sediment load: "Too thin to plow, too thick to drink." By volume, the Colorado River is the most sandy and silty river in North America. By volume of water, the Colorado ranks 25th in the 50 states of the USA. However, this tiny river has eroded half of the Colorado Plateau in as little as 6 - 10 million years. Indeed, quite an accomplishment and a testament to the power of grits both fine and course. Once you read some of the key documents (example) in this section, you will understand that sediment will interrupt water supplies to the water users of the Colorado River in as little as ~250 years.
"The water goes, the sand remains." Armenian Proverb
"Our rivers run silt, although we could better think of them as running the telltale blood of cancer." Alan Gregg
All content © 2024 On The Colorado