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Show Synopsis of Colorado River Basin Department of Civil Engineering Senior Design Group for Colorado River Basin Project Left to right: J. Gardner Olson, Shem Hawes, Teresa Wilhelmsen (Project Leader), Mark Wilson, J.P. Worlton Group Members not pictured: Gina Gill, Clint Dilley, Ben Strong, Ken Short, Nate Torrey, Mark Reynolds, Jason Coleman Water - The Lifeblood of the West. As the population of the western United States expands, so must its water resources....but how? The answer to this question must be to responsibly manage the vast resources of water that currently exist. One existing source of water shared by seven of the western United States and Mexico is the Colorado River. The Colorado River system is a vast collection of watersheds and tributaries that winds its way from its headwaters in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to Mexico. It comprises a drainage basin of over 244,000 square miles. The river is approximately 1,440 miles long and falls more than 12,000 feet from its headwaters to the Gulf of California. It is considered the most regulated river in the world. Shown above are portions of a story board that address the many issues surrounding the Colorado River. The story board was created as a research project by a twelve-member group of Civil Engineering undergraduate students at the University of Utah. The intent is for the story board to be utilized by The Headwaters Center for Colorado River Resource Management and any other entities with an interest in the Colorado River. The main purpose of the story board is to explore the many aspects of the Colorado River Basin. These include the current regulation of the river and the history of the laws governing its use. Water quality standards and environmental concerns in various areas in the basin are also explained. The water storage facilities in the basin are outlined and the power generation created from these facilities is documented. The last section of the story board details the basic hydrologic resources contributing to the basin. This includes identifying the flows from the main tributaries, as well as, the snowfall contribution to the basin. A curator's document also accompanies the story board and contains more detailed information into these various subjects surrounding the Colorado River. Teresa Wilhelmsen Assoc. Professor Rand Decker |
