by
Kimberly Garhart
|
|
The Colorado River has been impacted by removal
of waters for irrigating purposes since the late 1800’s. The purpose
of this study is to examine the impact of the removal of those waters on
the physical appearance of the river. It is likely that the river
has sustained some geomorphic changes over the last one hundred years,
however it is hypothesized that the changes due to irrigation alone would
not have been great enough to influence the present day look of the river.
This will be tested primarily by comparing the present-day state of the
river, meaning the appearance of banks and depositional attributes, to
the recorded appearance of the river by photographs over the last one hundred
years. There has not been any previous work done singling out irrigation
as a factor of change on the river, so interpretation will come from the
data gathered from other general studies.
Study Area History of Grand Valley Irrigation Projects Discussion
Useful Links